The Georgian ambassador to Japan sparked a lively debate after tweeting a short video of himself riding a subway car in a priority seat reserved for passengers who are elderly, pregnant or have a disability.

Some people had no issue with 35-year-old Teimuraz Lezhava using a priority seat when no one else in need is around. The fact he is in perfect health did not come into the equation.

But others were appalled by his behavior. They argued that priority seats should be always left vacant, citing the fact that some people have disabilities that are not always obvious, coupled with a perceived awkwardness of asking others to give up their seat.

NOT JUST OFF THE BOAT

Lezhava, it should be pointed out, is no stranger to Japan’s mores and customs.

He has lived in this country for many years, having graduated from a university here. Lezhava also worked for a company in Japan before he was appointed charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Georgia in 2019. He has served as ambassador since 2021.

Lezhava decided to let his hair down when he and his family took a trip on June 18.

Although it was a Sunday, the train was not overly crowded and the priority seats were unoccupied, unlike the regular seats. So Lezhava and his family grabbed them.

The ambassador regularly tweets about his daily life for his 240,000 followers. He made sure the footage captured a sign posted on the carriage window with symbols of those for whom the seat is intended.

He was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and open sandals with his legs crossed.

UNEXPECTED REACTION

After posting his tweet, Lezhava was surprised by the response the same day from a Twitter user who clearly thought his behavior was loutish.

Contacted by The Asahi Shimbun, Lezhava stood his ground. “There is no reason to put up with standing when the seat is unoccupied,” he said. “All you have to do is offer the seat when someone in need comes along.”

Noting that priority train seats are also available in his home country, the diplomat said, “Many Georgians would think the same way.”

In response to those who believe priority seats should be left vacant, Lezhava said: “That is probably because if everyone chooses not to sit in the first place, there is no need for anyone to take the trouble of offering the seat.”

Unwittingly, Lezhava pointed a finger at the state of disconnect in contemporary Japanese society.

“With people becoming less and less associated with each other, they shy away from communication that arises when they concede the seat to each other, finding it troublesome,” he said.

At the same time, he had nothing but praise for the sense of unity in Japanese society that places importance on group harmony rather than the individual, calling it highly reasonable and advantageous.

But there is also a downside, he believes, because it forces people not to make decisions that might be at odds with the majority. In short, Lezhava noted Japanese are loathe to be put in a situation where they stand out.

“It’s not good to impose excessive peer pressure,” Lezhava continued. “I want to be strong enough to resist (such social pressure).”

PEER PRESSURE

Masaya Kobayashi, a professor of public philosophy at the Graduate School of Chiba University, welcomes the debate.

“It is important for society as a whole that people think about and improve their morality,” Kobayashi said.

He fully accepted that some people choose not to sit down in the first place, so they never need to offer their seat.

Kobayashi bemoaned the mindset that comes with a lack of flexible thinking and forces an opinion on others, as illustrated by the prevailing view that priority seats should be kept free for those in need.

Opinions like it is OK to sit when priority seats are unoccupied are a “manifestation of developed morality if the person is confident to give up his or her seat when the necessity arises,” Kobayashi added.

In an ideal situation, he argued, everyone would be prepared to give up their seats for others in need--regardless of whether priority seating is available.

“Given that public morality has conspicuously deteriorated in the world today, the presence of priority seats is rather meaningful,” he said.

80% GIVE UP SEATS

A nationwide online survey by the transport ministry last November asked people aged 20 and older about the consideration they give to others while using public transportation.

Of the 985 valid responses, nearly 60 percent said they don’t sit in priority seats when using public transportation. This consisted of 42.3 percent who said they seldom do so and 17 percent who said they never occupy a priority seat.

However, 7.4 percent said they sit “often” in a priority seat, while 33.3 percent said “sometimes.”

When respondents, excluding those who said they never sit in priority seats, were asked whether they give up their seats for seniors, passengers with disabilities and others in need, about 80 percent said they do, with 57.7 percent saying “often” and 23.9 percent saying “sometimes.”

Respondents were also asked to give multiple answers about reasons they didn’t offer their seats.

Those who said they were unsure whether the passenger needed a priority seat accounted for the largest group, or 42.7 percent. In addition, 30.8 percent said they were not feeling well or had injuries themselves, and 18.8 percent said they need priority seats because of their own physical frailty.

This prompted a ministry official to comment that it can be difficult to judge whether a passenger needed priority seating simply by his or her appearance.

“We want to provide an environment where it is easy for those in need to use” priority seating, the official said.

South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Britain and Ireland are among countries that have priority seats on their trains, according to Daisuke Sawada, vice manager of the barrier-free promotion division at the Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility and Ecological Transportation in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward.

In Brazil, obese people are also given priority seating, he added.