Osaka City to sue resident over persistent customer harassment

Osaka City has announced plans to file a lawsuit for damages against a local resident for persistent customer harassment (kasuhara) that obstructed municipal operations. Between May 2023 and June 2024, the individual reportedly engaged in over 600 instances of verbal abuse and unreasonable demands via telephone and in-person meetings, including insults directed at city staff.

This legal move comes as Japan prepares to mandate customer harassment countermeasures for companies starting October 1. While the government defines such harassment as behavior that exceeds socially acceptable limits and harms the working environment, businesses and local governments struggle to draw a clear line between legitimate complaints and harassment.

To protect employees, some municipalities like Neyagawa City have introduced the use of “business names” to prevent staff from being personally identified on social media. Additionally, technological solutions are emerging, such as SoftBank’s “SoftVoice” app, which uses AI to convert aggressive, shouting voices into calmer, more moderate tones in real-time during telephone interactions.