Govt to Study Measures to Combat Customer Harassment; Aims to Introduce Legislation Next Year

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:26 JST, July 20, 2024

The government is set to propose establishing legal measures to combat harassment of shop staff, clarifying three criteria that define what has become known as “customer harassment.”

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry’s panel of experts released a draft report Friday as part of an effort to help protect workers from unreasonable demands from customers.

The draft report defines customer harassment as conduct that meets the following three criteria: The perpetrator is a customer or business client; the conduct goes beyond what is socially acceptable, such as assaulting, threatening or defaming the victim; and finally, the conduct hurts the work environment.

To protect workers, the draft report specifies that companies should be required by law to implement measures to prevent such harassment.

Noting that inadvertent employee behavior can sometimes trigger customer harassment, the report suggested employee training and the creation of response manuals as effective countermeasures.

The ministry plans to discuss specific legislation at a meeting of the Labor Policy Council — an advisory body to the health, labor and welfare minister — to be held in autumn or later, with the aim of submitting legislation at next year’s ordinary Diet session.