This week, a mysterious video floated around Japanese social media. It depicted a security officer at the recently opened Osaka Expo apparently doing a head-to-floor bow – a dogeza, or deep apology bow – to an attendee.
The footage renewed discussions about so-called “customer harassment” in Japan, with many seeing it as another example of overbearing customers bullying innocent and stressed-out workers. Now, the Expo has explained that the officer made the bow. not because the attendee ordered him to, but out of fear for his safety.
The attendee’s family appeared embarrassed
The video hit social media earlier this week. In the footage, the viewer can see a security guard with his back to the camera talking to an Expo attendee. The security guard bows before going all the way down to a dogeza bow. The attendee is seen crossing his arms in frustration as the guard bows. The attendee’s family seems embarrassed as they walk away.
The incident appeared to happen around 4pm on April 17th. The person who shot the video said they began taking it after they heard the attendee yelling at the guard.
Osaka Expo’s opening day resulted in long lines both entering the venue as well as accessing event pavilions. However, access conditions have reportedly improved since then.
Reaction to the video was uniformly outrage. “I don’t know the details of what happened,” wrote actress Tomoko Mariya in an X post containing the video. “But this man should at least be banned from entry.”
Expo: Man did the bow out of fear
Initial reports say the attendee demanded that the guard do a dogeza bow in apology. However, the Expo Committee denied this in an interview with J-Cast News on April 22nd.
The Committee acknowledged the incident, saying that the attendee had asked for directions to the shuttle bus leaving the Expo. The guard didn’t know where the pick-up spot was and directed the attendee to a staffed information booth to answer his question.
That’s when the attendee reportedly went off on him. “Why don’t you know?” he exploded. The attendee went towards the info booth but exploded and rushed the guard when the guard followed him. The guard, fearing for his safety, went for the bow of his own volition to mollify him.
The Expo said the guard isn’t filing charges. Online commenters on forums such as Yahoo! News Japan expressed sympathy for the guard and disdain for the attendee. Many fumed that a guard shouldn’t be expected to know where a given location is, especially for an event that only opened days before.
Dogeza and “customer harassment”
The incident struck a chord in Japan because of the rise in awareness around “customer harassment,” or harassment of store or government employees by customers. Customers upset about their treatment sometimes demand employees perform the bow to show their contrition.
The bow has its origins in India as a form of apology. It was used as a show of deference to certain daimyō (feudal warlords) during the Edo Era. However, its use among rank-and-file civilians is attributed to its prevalence in author Nakasato Kazan’s unfinished literary opus Daibosatsu-touge, which was serialized in Miyako Shimbun from 1913 to 1941.
The ritual is deeply humiliating for employees. That’s leading many companies and government offices are cracking down on all forms of harassment, including verbal and physical abuse. Japan Railways said in 2024 it will refuse service to customers who harass its staff and specifically lists commanding employees to bow as a form of harassment. Kuwana City in Mie Prefecture announced a plan last year to name-and-shame those who harass city workers.
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Sources
動画拡散で波紋、万博で警備員はなぜ土下座したのか 万博協会が明かした意外な経緯. J-Cast News
【カスハラ?】万博会場で腕組み怒鳴る男性の前で警備員が“土下座”. FNN Prime Online
土下座. Wikipedia JP
