Companies big and small across Japan say instances of customer abuse have markedly increased with the cost of living crisis, forcing a range of measures to protect employees.

Harassment and unreasonable demands have become such a problem that one railway network issued staff with body cams to record abusive encounters.

The Asahi Shimbun recently surveyed 100 leading Japanese companies to ascertain what they are doing to tackle the issue. Eighty-seven said they are either taking measures, or are planning to take steps, against “kasu-hara” customer harassment.

This includes taking video recordings and changing the way staff are identified on name tags. Some businesses have gone as far as to suspend service to intransigent customers in extreme cases.

The companies all expressed an eagerness to create an environment that allows their staff to work without anxiety.

In March, Seibu Railway Co. distributed body cameras to be worn on the chest to 82 train stations with permanent staff.

The cameras are to ensure the company has a record in case hostile encounters or criminal behaviors erupt. When a camera is in use, it indicates the proceedings are being recorded.

Seibu Railway officials said the body cams are not supposed to be worn at all hours, just as the occasion warrants.

The data will be deleted after being stored for a certain period, officials said.

Seibu Railway also installed surveillance cameras that also record sound on the ceiling above open counters at five major train stations, including Ikebukuro and Seibu-Shinjuku, both in Tokyo.

And it has put up posters warning against customer harassment at 91 train stations with counters manned by staff.

“We are sending this message that we are fostering a climate that allows our staff to work with a sense of security and taking a resolute stand against customer abuse,” said a Seibu Railway representative.

A number of businesses have changed the way staff IDs are displayed after abusive customers revealed the names of employees on social media, raising privacy issues.

The situation is deemed to be particularly serious for employees who staff consultation counters that deal with customer complaints.

At Sompo Japan Insurance Inc., staff in certain posts display IDs that show only their family names.

The measure is in response to cases where personal details about employees ended up on social media as a result of customers who took issue with the company over its obligations concerning traffic accidents.

Convenience store chain operator Lawson Inc. allows employees to use name tags with only initials.

Starting last year, the name tags of Lawson’s convenience store staff can, at the discretion of store officials, feature only the official title and any Roman letters of choice or initials.

ZERO TOLERANCE

Some businesses simply suspend service to extremely abusive customers who start yelling and getting violent.

Air carrier ANA Holdings Inc. cited instances of intransigent customers repeatedly demanding alterations to nonrefundable tickets and becoming violent when airline staff tried to intervene.

ANA said it may refuse boarding in cases where a passenger crosses the line and is deemed to pose an obstacle to safe flight operations.

“We will be working with the rest of the aviation industry and with other businesses to promote our measures,” an ANA official said.

Security agency Secom Co. in February announced a basic policy against customer abuse.

Secom President Yasuyuki Yoshida messaged staff that they are not required to endure customers who have overstepped the mark, even if that comes at the cost of losing contracts.

“Of all the categories of stakeholders that our company has, our workers matter the most,” Yoshida told The Asahi Shimbun.

Customer abuse, which results in physical or mental violence, can cause staff to take leave or quit their jobs.

Under legal revisions, businesses are obliged to take measures by the end of 2026 to protect their workers from abusive customers.

Eighty-one of the 100 top Japanese businesses, surveyed by The Asahi Shimbun in June, said they had measures in place against customer abuse. The count rose to 87 when companies with plans to take steps were included.

The 87 respondents were asked to choose any number of measures they were taking.

“Working out manuals against customer abuse” and “setting up consultation desks and providing support for workers who have suffered” were the most common answers cited by 67 businesses.

Sixty-one companies said they were “organizing in-house training sessions against customer abuse” and 25 said they were “taking measures to suspend access to service and ban entry to shops.”