Tokyo subway [123rf]
Tokyo subway [123rf]

A new form of public harassment has emerged in Japan, drawing widespread anger online. Even as the country grapples with "butsukari" — the practice of deliberately shoulder-checking strangers — a man has now been filmed intentionally tripping passersby on a subway platform.

A video titled "Japan's new villain" spread rapidly across SNS and online communities in recent days. It was reportedly filmed at a subway station platform in Japan.

According to the person who posted the footage, identified only as A, the man wandered among passengers waiting for a train and deliberately stuck out his leg to trip people as they walked past.

The video shows the man using his leg to trip a woman walking near the edge of the platform. She momentarily lost her balance but managed to stay on her feet.

After failing to knock the woman down, the man approached another man of smaller build and tripped him from behind, causing him to stumble.

The platform had no screen doors, making the situation potentially dangerous and one that could easily have led to a serious accident.

"He was only doing it to women," A said. "Like butsukari, he targeted only people who seemed vulnerable. It was cowardly and he seemed disturbed."

Viewers reacted with alarm. "Why do people like this keep appearing in Japan?" one commenter wrote. Others said the behavior looked more serious than butsukari, with some adding they no longer felt safe visiting Japan. "It looks like a real accident waiting to happen," one person wrote. "I'm curious why someone from a culture that hates causing trouble for others would act like this," another said.

Japanese users also weighed in. "I've seen someone like that before — as a Japanese person, I'm truly ashamed," one wrote, adding that the man "didn't touch anyone over 180 centimeters tall like me, only going after weaker people — a coward."

Meanwhile, butsukari — in which some men deliberately and forcefully shoulder-check women, the elderly and other vulnerable people on station platforms or in the street — has been flagged as a social problem in Japan for years.

Last month, a man living in Yokohama was arrested on charges of shoving an elementary school student to the ground and injuring the child.


bbo@heraldcorp.com