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August 12, 2026
 

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CUSTOMER HARASSMENT

Measures to prevent workers from experiencing harassment from customers are gradually taking root at Japanese companies, but challenges remain.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jul 15, 2026
Japanese companies gradually implement measures to combat customer harassment
Some companies have established consultation desks for employees while others have introduced audio and video recording equipment at workplaces.
A "customer harassment" prevention awareness poster at the entrance of an Aoki Super supermarket in Aichi Prefecture
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Chubu
Jun 15, 2026
¡®Customer harassment¡¯ continues in Japan despite moves to end it
While ordinances have been helping many businesses across the nation to combat ¡°customer harassment,¡± they haven¡¯t been a silver bullet for such abuse.
As workplace relationships have become increasingly diverse, companies are under greater pressure to maintain appropriate relationships among employees, and also with customers and job-hunting students.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2026
40 years on, Japan steps up fight against workplace harassment
This year marks four decades since the equal employment opportunity law came into force, and 20 years since employers were required to take measures to prevent sexual harassment.
A number of Japanese local governments are beefing up measures to handle problematic behavior by residents, such as persistent calls.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2026
Local government offices ramp up fight against harassment from residents
According to a 2024 survey, 35% of responding local government employees had experienced harassment by residents and external parties over the previous three years.
New guidelines are addressing struggles by teachers to deal with the burden of parents who make irrational complaints that go beyond what is considered socially acceptable, often referred to as "monster parents," which is overwhelming their workload.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 10, 2025
Tokyo looks to keep ¡®monster parents¡¯ at bay with new protocols
Measures from limiting the duration of meetings to having a lawyer handle complaints aim to protect teachers from irrational requests and abusive behaviors.
The Mie Prefectural Government plans to create an ordinance to penalize customer harassment.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 8, 2025
Mie eyes Â鶹´«Ã½ first penalty against customer abuse
The ordinance would define customer abuse as excessive nuisances that go beyond social norms and harm employees¡¯ working environment.
A boy looks at samples of Pokemon toys available with the McDonald's Happy Meal set in Tokyo earlier this month.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 28, 2025
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald¡¯s Pokemon debacle
In Japan, the right phrasing can mean the difference between a request and harassment.
The leading cause of workers experiencing work-related mental health issues was power harassment, or an abuse of authority?from superiors, which accounted for 224 cases.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 26, 2025
Work-related mental health cases hit record high in Japan
The leading cause of such cases was power harassment, or an abuse of authority?from superiors.
The "customer harassment" rate for officials of prefectural and municipal governments shown by the internal affairs ministry's first-ever survey on the matter far exceeded the 10.8% for private-sector employees found by the labor ministry in its survey in fiscal 2023.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2025
¡®Customer harassment¡¯ faced by 35% of local government officials
A survey found that 17.5% of cases were prompted by officials¡¯ work at customer service counters, such as mistakes.
Tokyo will soon require all companies in the city to make efforts to stop harassment by customers, such as by creating a manual on how to handle suspected cases.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 17, 2025
Tokyo gears up for April launch of law against harassment by customers
All companies in Tokyo must make an effort to eliminate such harassment, such as by creating a manual on how to handle suspected cases.
In the survey, 36.7% of respondents said that they have not taken measures to prevent customer harassment.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2025
Customer harassment pushes part-timers to quit
The proportion of companies whose part-time workers faced customer harassment, such as yelling, within the past year was 45.7%.
Amid severe labor shortages, the Japan Federation of Service and Tourism Industries Workers' Unions will emphasize the importance of improving working conditions to realize a medium-term annual salary target of ?5.5 million for industry workers age 35.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2025
Service and tourism workers to seek 6% pay hike in wage talks
The Japan Federation of Service and Tourism Industries Workers¡¯ Unions hopes to secure a medium-term annual salary target of ?5.5 million for industry workers age 35.
In the health ministry's report, customer harassment is defined as "behavior by customers, business partners, facility users and others that goes beyond what is socially acceptable and harms the environment for workers."
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2024
Japan eyes law requiring measures against harassment by customers
A new health ministry report urges companies to create an environment in which employees can work without major mental or physical concerns.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to a reporter on Sept. 27. Aggressive acts toward front-line workers, dubbed "customer harassment," have become a growing problem.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 4, 2024
Tokyo passes nation¡¯s first customer harassment ordinance
The ordinance, however, does not include any criminal punishment for those accused of harassment.
By using an app, call center workers can practice calming down angry callers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024
Japanese companies develop AI tools against ¡®customer harassment¡¯
Japanese companies are developing artificial intelligence tools to protect call center workers from ¡°customer harassment.¡±
A housing exhibition like the one worked at by a Polus employee in Chiba Prefecture who died by suicide in 2020 following harassment by a customer.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024
Customer harassment caused Chiba worker¡¯s suicide, labor office says
After explaining to a customer who was building a new house that additional costs were required, the employee began facing relentless complaints from him.
ANA Holdings has revised its customer service guidelines to include how to respond to various types of harassment of employees by customers.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2024
Labor group calls for measures to address harassment from customers
One survey of about 33,000 workers showed that 46.8% had experienced so-called customer harassment in the past two years.
SoftBank is working to develop artificial intelligence-enabled software that softens the tone of customers' voices.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2024
SoftBank looks at ¡®softening¡¯ angry customer calls with AI
The issue of harassment of staff working in the service industry has gained more awareness in recent years.
East Japan Railway has set out a strict policy of not yielding to unreasonable demands from customers. The government and ruling parties are considering a labor law revision to strengthen measures against "customer harassment."
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2024
Japan mulls legislation against customer harassment
46.8% of union members said they had experienced customer harassment in the past two years, according to a survey this year by UA Zensen.
¡°Customer harassment¡± ¡ª in which customers harass front-line workers with aggressive behavior or unreasonable requests ¡ª has become a growing problem in the service industry.
JAPAN / Society
May 2, 2024
Japan steps up measures against ¡®customer harassment¡¯
A 2022 survey found that 67.5% of respondents had experienced some kind of harassment from customers in the past three years.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Strong wind and heavy rain forecast as tropical storm approaches Japan
Tropical Storm Chan-hom is expected to make landfall in northern Kanto between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

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