News 'Customer abuse' rampant in Japan's service industry

One extreme case of customer abuse occurred at the Ibadai branch of the Ikkenme ramen chain in Mito. The problem started after a man entered the restaurant conveniently located near Ibaraki University in spring 2022. After being served a bowl of ramen, he ordered additional toppings of chopped onion every two minutes. He exited the eatery without even touching the meal, leaving behind a bowl covered with a heap of chopped onion. The same customer visited the noodle shop at a later date and was recognized by staff. They declined his requests for additional toppings. Infuriated, the man poured condiments and about 500 toothpicks into the soup. The 51-year-old manager banned the customer. When the man came back and continued his annoying antics in March last year, the manager called police. Ibaraki prefectural police reprimanded the man. But that only seemed to escalate the man's abuse of the ramen shop. He started calling the restaurant at least 20 times a day, and even threatened to kill staff and set the place on fire. At least one employee was too scared to work and quit. The eatery made a tough decision to close in July last year. "I thought human life and safety must come first," the manager said. The customer was indicted on a charge of intimidation, and the Mito Summary Court in January this year ordered him to pay 100,000 JPY (USD 640) in fines.

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Petaris said:

I don't understand what motivates that behavior, in the case of the man mentioned. It could be at least understood why a customer would be unhappy if there was some issue, food quality or the cleanliness of the store or behavior of the staff, but in this example there just doesn't seem to be any motivation.

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The move comes as so-called kasu-hara, Japanese slang for customer harassment, has become a social issue in recent years in Japan, a country known for its hospitality culture. The two carriers follow convenience stores and railway companies in taking measures to protect their employees from such abuse. ANA and JAL said they will call on other airlines to take similar steps.

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• Demands that significantly exceed contracted terms or service offerings
• Physical abuse like hitting, kicking or spitting
• Posting employees' names on the internet without their consent
• Demanding employees to kneel
• Taking photos without permission
• Making frequent complaints
• Requiring too much of an employee's time, refusing to leave and making prolonged phone calls

A 47-year-old man who worked as an assistant manager at a supermarket in Tokyo recalled a complaint he received from a customer: "The tofu I purchased is rotten." The man, eager to set things right, visited the customer's home to check the product and found that more than two weeks had passed since the purchase. "Of course, the tofu would be rotten after such a long time," he told himself. But he kept his thoughts to himself because he didn't want to lose the customer. So, he adopted a humble attitude toward the person, who then made an extraordinary request: that the man prostrate himself and apologize.

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