Customer harassment prevention becomes mandatory from October 2026

In short: Responding to customer harassment becomes a legal obligation for employers from October 1, 2026 (令和8年10月1日), regardless of company size. Measures to prevent sexual harassment against job applicants and others become mandatory at the same time. What you must do is almost the same as the measures against power harassment: a clearly stated and publicized policy, a consultation system, and follow-up after incidents. If you already have a power-harassment framework, you can respond by widening that same frame.

Lately we have been receiving more and more questions along the lines of: "I know the word 'kasu-hara', but is it an obligation or just a goal to aim for, and what exactly do we have to do?" This page is for the owners and general-affairs staff of companies that deal with customers at the counter, on the phone, or in person. We set out the definition of customer harassment, when and to whom the obligation applies, the specific measures, how it differs from ordinary complaints, and whom to ask. Giving legal advice on a particular case, or guiding you through legal proceedings against the offender, is outside the scope of this article.

What exactly counts as customer harassment?

In materials published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, customer harassment means "severely abusive conduct by customers and others" that harms a worker's working environment. "Customers and others" is not limited to people who actually do business with you. It includes business partners, users of your facilities, and other interested parties.

The following are given as examples of "severely abusive conduct":

• Assault and injury, or intimidation
• Defamation or insult, or severe verbal abuse
• Persistent or excessive demands, or repeated complaints
• Being forced to kneel on the floor, or having the matter spread on social media
• Sexual remarks or conduct
• Refusing to leave, staying on the premises, or holding someone for a long time

The point is that an ordinary, legitimate complaint is not customer harassment. Pointing out a defect in a product or a shortcoming in a service, or asking for improvement, is in fact the kind of voice that helps you improve your business. What makes something a problem is not the content of the demand but whether the manner of it amounts to severely abusive conduct.

From when, and which companies?

Under the amendment of the Labor Measures Comprehensive Promotion Act and related acts by Act No. 63 of 2025 (令和7年法律第63号), employers become subject to the following obligations:

• Employment-management measures to prevent harm to the working environment caused by customer harassment (severely abusive conduct by customers and others)
• Measures to prevent sexual harassment against job applicants and others (this applies at the recruitment stage; it is not the subject of this article)

The measures come into force on October 1, 2026 (令和8年10月1日). Company size does not matter. As with the power-harassment measures, the obligation applies to any employer who uses workers, even one with a single employee, and even a sole proprietor. It is the month after the date this article is published, September 1, 2026.

For the moment, before the effective date, we are still in a preparation period. The obligation itself begins on October 1, but to avoid having nothing in place on the day it takes effect, it is realistic to build the framework before then.

What exactly does a company have to do?

The structure is the same three categories as the power-harassment measures, with some additional measures on top.

Measure	What it means
① A clearly stated and publicized policy	Decide the policy that the organization will respond to customer harassment as a company, along with the contact point and procedure, and publicize them to employees
② A consultation system	Set up a consultation desk and a structure that can respond appropriately to reports
③ Prompt and appropriate follow-up	When a report is made, look into the facts and take the necessary measures (care for the victim, prevention of recurrence, and dealing with the offender)
Additional measures	Protecting privacy, and publicizing the prohibition of detrimental treatment because someone consulted or reported

If you already have a power-harassment framework, you can respond by widening that same frame. In practice, the two things you are most likely to need to add are these:

1. State explicitly in the policy and procedure that the offender may be an outside customer
2. Decide in advance the line at which frontline staff may stop dealing with someone, and where to escalate to a manager or the consultation desk

Conversely, if you have not put the power-harassment measures themselves in place, you will need to build both at once by October. For the overall picture of the obligations around work rules, see How many employees make work rules mandatory.

How is it different from an ordinary complaint?

You look at both the content of the demand and the manner of it.

Aspect	Customer harassment	Ordinary complaint or grievance
Content	Unreasonable or excessive demands, personal attacks, and so on	Pointing out a defect in a product or service, or asking for improvement
Manner	Verbal abuse, intimidation, insults, long periods of detention, refusing to leave — conduct that amounts to "severely abusive conduct"	Within what is socially reasonable
The company's response	There may be a decision to limit or cut off the dealing in order to protect the working environment	Take it seriously and use it to improve

Please note that it is neither "a legitimate complaint means anything goes" nor "every complaint is customer harassment". Even a legitimate point can become customer harassment if the manner involves verbal abuse, intimidation, or detaining someone for a long time. Conversely, a demand can be unreasonable but still fall short of customer harassment if the manner stays within a calm, moderate range. When judging, you look at the factors as a whole: the content and degree of the conduct, whether it is persistent or repeated, whether the demand is reasonable, and the effect on the worker's working environment.

Whom should you ask, for what?

What you want done	Whose work it is
Setting the policy for responding to customer harassment, drawing up work rules and disciplinary rules, designing the consultation desk, and training employees	A Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant) (this office)
Legal action against the offender (the customer), claims for damages, and considering criminal measures	An attorney
Where the offender is one of your own employees and you are considering disciplinary action	The work rules are the basis. Setting up the system is the work of a Shakai Hoken Roumushi; if it turns into a dispute, an attorney

Customer harassment is an area where it is hard to balance "dealing with the customer" and "protecting the employee". The role of a Shakai Hoken Roumushi is to give shape — in a policy, in rules, and in training — to where the organization draws the line. The legal proceedings that come after a dispute has actually arisen are the domain of an attorney.

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do for you?

四葉社会保険労務士事務所 in Kohinata, Bunkyo Ward, handles the policy document, work rules and disciplinary rules, the design of the consultation desk, and the publicity and training for employees that customer-harassment measures require. If you have not yet put power-harassment measures in place, we can build both at once. The initial consultation is free. Fees are set out in the fee schedule. We start by helping you take stock of what to do first in your case.

Whom to consult

The policy for responding to customer harassment, work rules, the consultation desk, and training are the work of a Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant). Legal proceedings and claims for damages against the offender (the customer) are the work of an attorney. This office does not accept referral fees. The cost of consulting 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 is set out in the fee schedule, and the questions we are asked most often are collected on the FAQ page.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is a company with just one employee covered?
A. Yes. The customer-harassment measures apply regardless of company size, to any employer who uses workers. As with the power-harassment measures, they apply even to a company with a single employee and even to a sole proprietor.

Q. We already have power-harassment measures in place. What more do we need to do?
A. The basic frame is shared, so you do not need to build from zero. The main additions are to state in your policy and procedure that "the offender may be an outside customer", and to add the line at which frontline staff may stop dealing with someone and the point to escalate to. A consultation desk you already have can be used as it is.

Q. Does this mean we can ignore legitimate complaints as "customer harassment"?
A. No. Legitimate opinions and complaints are not customer harassment, and they have to be dealt with in good faith. A decision to limit or cut off the dealing is considered only where the manner amounts to "severely abusive conduct". Dealing with complaints and preventing customer harassment are separate things, and you need to put both in place.

Q. The offender is our customer. How far can the company protect its employees?
A. What is made mandatory is, after all, "employment-management measures" — putting in place a policy, a consultation system, and follow-up to protect the working environment. Claims for damages against the offender, criminal measures, and enforcing a ban on entry are legal proceedings that an attorney decides on case by case. The important thing is to separate what you can complete in-house from what you hand to a specialist.

Sources for this article

• Labor Measures Comprehensive Promotion Act (労働施策の総合的な推進並びに労働者の雇用の安定及び職業生活の充実等に関する法律, Act No. 132 of 1966). Under the amendment by Act No. 63 of 2025 (令和7年法律第63号), the following are added as employer obligations: employment-management measures to prevent harm to the working environment caused by customer harassment (severely abusive conduct by customers and others), and measures to prevent sexual harassment against job applicants and others
• The effective date is October 1, 2026 (令和8年10月1日). Confirmed from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's 「職場におけるハラスメントの防止のために」, which states "effective October 1, 2026"
• The content of the measures employers must take (a clearly stated and publicized policy, a consultation system, prompt and appropriate follow-up, and protecting privacy and publicizing the prohibition of detrimental treatment) is the same in structure as the power-harassment measures (Labor Measures Comprehensive Promotion Act, Article 30-2, paragraph 1). The definition of customer harassment, the way it is judged, and the specific examples of the measures follow the guidelines and the customer-harassment manual and other published materials of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
• The article, paragraph and item numbers of the post-amendment provisions on customer-harassment measures have not been re-confirmed on e-Gov法令検索 at the time of writing, so we refrain from citing them (unverified)

This article does not go so far as to decide whom you should consult. Setting the policy for responding to customer harassment, work rules and disciplinary rules, the consultation desk, and training are the work of a Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant). Individual disputes, legal proceedings against the offender (the customer), and claims for damages are the work of an attorney. This office does not accept referral fees. The cost of consulting 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 is set out in the fee schedule, and the questions we are asked most often are collected on the FAQ page.

This article is general information. Judgments that fit your particular circumstances are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant), Gyoseishoshi (Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist), Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).