'Losing their cool': Known for politeness, Japan witnessing growing incidents of rude behaviour

Reports of rude behaviour are growing more frequent in Japan even as the society has long prided itself on politeness and respect towards others.

According to a South China Morning Post report, citing an academic, such incidents have led to a number of institutions, including schools and local governments, drafting new rules to deal with a nation that is  becoming more “irritated and impatient” than ever.

“I can definitely see it (rude behaviour) around us more and more every day,” South China Morning Post quoted Izumi Tsuji, a sociologist and professor of culture at Tokyo’s Chuo University, as saying

While there appeared to be no empirical evidence available, there might be an increasing tendency among people in Japan to respond with rudeness and aggression when met with polite resistance for several reasons..

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“People who sense they are in a weaker position in a situation have realised that if they argue and push back, then they put themselves in a stronger position,” South China Morning Post quoted Tsuji as saying.

According to the report, citing observers, in Japan, there’s a growing trend among younger individuals to employ a tactic during arguments with company or organisation representatives.

They understand that it’s culturally unacceptable for the company’s staff to engage in arguments, even when they’re clearly on the right side, and this strategy exploits the unwritten rules of Japan’s business environment to their advantage.

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“I also think that there is greater miscommunication in Japanese society. We have more people from other cultures in Japan and more Japanese are travelling abroad, so there is a greater likelihood of misunderstandings,” Tsuji was quoted as saying

Tsuji said that the most significant factor behind the spike in such incidents is that people in Japan are under greater stress than in the past.

“The situation in our society is not good,” he said, adding, “The economy is getting worse and worse, people are worried about rising prices, and they are stressed as they think about their future.”

Recalling his younger days, Tsuji said that he was was not worried about his career, economy or anything else.

“I’m fortunate as I’m doing much better than a lot of people now – I have a job, a secure position in my university and an income – but it is very difficult for many people to be optimistic about the future,” he was quoted as saying.

According to the report, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government addressed the pressing issue of aggressive behavior from members of the public by contemplating the creation of a local ordinance. This ordinance aims to establish a precise definition of “customer harassment” directed towards service-sector employees and other workers, with the goal of discouraging potential offenders.

The proposed definition encompasses various forms of misconduct such as assault, intimidation, and other illegal actions, along with unreasonable behavior like verbal abuse and excessive demands that disrupt workplace harmony. The specifics regarding potential penalties under this legislation remain uncertain at this stage, it added.

The East Japan Railway Company has recently released a fresh employee handbook containing guidelines for handling aggressive passengers who physically assault or threaten staff members. The handbook emphasizes the importance of staff safety as the utmost priority while instructing employees to maintain a sincere approach towards addressing customer concerns and requests. It also highlights the necessity of reporting serious incidents to the police.

An anonymous employee of a Japanese airline, speaking to This Week in Asia, shared that dealing with demanding and impolite passengers was a daily challenge.

“They have short tempers and complain about everything – the length of the line to check in, the security checks, the baggage limits,” she was quoted as saying.

“They complain about things that we cannot change, like the weather or flights being delayed or cancelled,” the employee said. “They know we have no control over the weather, but it’s like they just want to complain and need someone to apologise to them.”

Travellers in business class were the worst culprits, she said. “They think they are special because they are flying in business class, and they look down on everyone else, including the ground staff. After a day of listening to their complaints, I have to say that I often feel terrible.”

The airline employee said she had no choice but to keep calm and be polite to such customers, even if they were aggressive.

According to South China Morning Post, citing a survey by Tokyo-based staffing agency Workport Inc in March, nearly two-thirds of junior and mid-career employees in Japan had been the target of “power harassment”, also known as workplace bullying, with almost half of respondents saying they had chosen to do nothing in response.

The poll found that about 65 per cent of the 661 people surveyed had been subjected to verbal abuse and insults by their superiors, had had their achievements ignored, or had been given “excessive or harsh work”.

Nearly 10 per cent of people reported sexual or physical harassment, and almost 5 per cent said they had been assaulted or injured in the workplace.

Around 56 per cent of respondents said their employers were not taking adequate measures to prevent workplace bullying, despite the introduction of a law in 2020 designed to combat the problem.

With inputs from agencies