The Tokyo Metropolitan Government enacts an ordinance to prevent “customer harassment.”
Customer harassment refers to the act of a customer or business partner abusing their superior position and making unreasonable verbal abuse toward employees or public servants.In recent years, the number of customers and residents who repeatedly make extremely unreasonable demands and coercive language and behavior has increased. This was a problem. I hope that the prevention ordinance will have a certain deterrent effect.

In the future, we must strive to ensure soundness by clearly drawing the line between legitimate orders and complaints and customer harassment.
There are countless cases where employees become demotivated, overworked, and even become ill from mental pain due to customer harassment.
Recently, I heard from an acquaintance that a young man working as a clerk at an apparel shop was repeatedly subjected to intimidation by customers, which caused him to become depressed and unable to work. When I hear stories like this, my mood gets depressed.
What’s more, some of these customers make abusive comments aimed at obtaining exorbitant discounts or freebies, which is more like an attempt to extort them. I doubt whether they can really be called customers.

As we all know, there is currently a serious labor shortage, and if we don’t take care of our workers, we will be unable to sustain both companies and society. It is unacceptable to destroy valuable workers through frivolous flirting. In this sense, the customer harassment prevention ordinance is of no small significance.
On the other hand, eliminating legitimate orders and complaints from customers is putting the cart before the horse. If the prevention ordinance goes too far, such a situation could arise, so a sense of balance is required in its implementation.

If store staff and customers can face each other from an appropriate distance, customer harassment is likely to decrease. I hope that the prevention ordinance will be the beginning of building an appropriate relationship.
In any case, it is important to create a society where irrational violence, abusive language, and coercion have no place.(Kei Kitajima)