Go Tokyo Your Experience
Due to the depreciation of the yen, Japan has seen a significant influx of tourists in recent years. This surge in visitors has led to increased tensions, and whether it’s due to the behavior of these tourists or issues with local customers, the situation has prompted action. Recently, Japan’s two major airlines have joined forces to introduce a “Customer Harassment Prevention Policy,” outlining nine key prohibitions for passengers to ensure flight attendants are treated with the respect they deserve.
On June 28, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) announced the establishment of the “Customer Harassment Prevention Policy.” They stated that passengers who violate these rules will be warned, and if the situation escalates, they may be asked to leave or even have the police involved. Violators could face fines or imprisonment.
According to the joint statement by ANA and JAL, the “Customer Harassment Prevention Policy” aims to provide safe and comfortable service for customers and protect employees, ensuring they can work in a secure environment. “Customer harassment” is defined as: “Actions by customers or third parties (including business partners, etc.) that utilize superior status to conduct ‘acts in violation of aviation law and other relevant regulations,’ ‘actions that may lead to these acts,’ or ‘requests for employees to perform duties beyond their obligations or reasonable social norms,’ thereby harming the work environment of employees.”
ANA and JAL’s Nine Major Taboos:
- Verbal Harassment
- This includes abusive language, loud speech, insults, discriminatory remarks, and defamation. Examples include shouting or using coarse language like “You idiot,” gender-discriminatory remarks such as “How dare you do this as a [specific gender]?” or “Call your male supervisor,” and mocking employees’ appearances or making insulting comments about their abilities.
- Threatening Remarks
- Examples include “I’ll hit you,” “I’ll kill you,” “I’ll spread this on social media,” or implying connections with anti-social forces.
- Excessive Demands
- This includes demanding large compensations or upgrades beyond regulations, unreasonable requests such as “Come to my house and apologize,” or “Kneel and bow,” and demanding monetary compensation for unreasonable reasons like dissatisfaction with the staff’s attitude.
- Violent Behavior
- This includes hitting employees, pushing, grabbing shoulders, slapping hands, throwing objects, spilling drinks, or waving umbrellas in a threatening manner.
- Disrupting Business
- Unjustifiably detaining employees for a long time, such as sitting idly or making prolonged phone calls; restraining employees for long periods through topic diversion, standing in the way, or relentless attacks; causing severe business disruptions by repeatedly making the same complaint at multiple locations or repeatedly asking unreasonable questions.
- Entering Employee Work Areas
- Unauthorized entry or lingering in offices or workspaces.
- Deceptive Behavior
- Using clearly false statements, such as fake boarding passes, falsifying age or name to board, double-booking to secure an empty seat; false declarations of needing assistance to force staff response; false claims about checked luggage damage, such as stating existing damage was caused by the flight.
- Damaging Company and Employee Reputation
- Posting defamatory statements about the company or employees online contrary to facts; recording responses at reservation centers, on planes, or at airports and posting them online; spreading false or exaggerated content online.
- Sexual Harassment
- This includes actions such as secretly filming, indecent acts/remarks, stalking, and any behavior that causes physical or mental distress due to sexual behavior or stalking.
Japanese netizens largely support these new regulations, with many commenting, “This is a good move.” Some believe that theft of aprons should also be included in the prohibitions, while others suggest reflecting on why such customer behaviors occur in the first place.