Japan is taking decisive steps to combat the growing issue of customer harassment, known as “kasuhara,” to protect its service workers from abuse. On July 9, department store giant Takashimaya became the first major retailer to announce measures against harassment, pledging to ban repeat offenders and involve the police in hostile cases.
This follows the June 28 collaboration between All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, which introduced guidelines defining kasuhara as customers exploiting their perceived power to make unreasonable demands or commit illegal acts, negatively impacting employees.
For years, Japan has revered customers as “kamisama” (God), but this tradition is now being reexamined. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to introduce legislation to the Diet, the national assembly of Japan, while Tokyo is poised to become the first prefecture to pass an ordinance against customer harassment. A Tokyo Metropolitan Government spokesperson said that incidents of kasuhara are not only increasing in number but also in severity, with workers facing defamation, psychological harm, and, in extreme cases, physical confrontations.
Harassment can include anything from verbal abuse to physical altercations. Some employees are forced to endure hours of berating or even resort to kneeling and apologising. To address this, companies like Lawson and FamilyMart have introduced anonymous name badges, protecting staff from further harassment, such as online doxxing. Other sectors, including pharmacists, cashiers, and public transportation drivers, are also adopting similar measures to safeguard their employees.
Major corporations like East Japan Railway Company and Nintendo have also made it clear that they will no longer tolerate abusive customers, marking a significant cultural shift in Japan’s customer service landscape.