"Koreans, Beware of This Man"...Controversy Over Japanese 'Sexual Harassment Man' Touching Women's Thighs While Pretending It Was Accidental

Repeated Physical Contact Caught in Crowded Shopping District
Controversy in Japan Over Deliberate "Shoulder Bump" Butsukari

In a busy district in Japan, a man has been caught on film intentionally brushing up closely against passing women, using his hands to graze their thighs and legs, which has sparked controversy. In Japan, the issue of so-called "Butsukari Otoko," men who deliberately bump into selected pedestrians in crowded streets or subway stations, has arisen repeatedly in the past, prompting calls for travelers to exercise caution.

In a busy district in Japan, a man was caught intentionally brushing his thighs and legs with his hands against passing women, causing controversy. SNS

According to domestic social media and social networking services (SNS) on August 27, a video warning that “one must be wary of sexual harassment when traveling in Japan these days” has been spreading rapidly since the day before. The person who recorded the video, identified as Mr. A, reportedly spotted a suspicious man in an arcade-style shopping street in Japan, and proceeded to film him while maintaining a certain distance.

The released video shows a man dressed in a black short-sleeved t-shirt walking through a shopping street crowded with shoppers. While passing through the crowd, the man repeatedly squeezed through the narrow gaps, sticking especially close to women. During this process, he was seen multiple times lowering his hands and brushing them against the thighs and legs of female passersby. The footage captured him behaving this way not only toward Asian women but also Western women. One woman, after the man passed, appeared to notice something was wrong and immediately turned around.

Concerns about potential harm to foreign tourists are also growing. Recently, as the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has increased, there have been consecutive reports of similar incidents in crowded areas such as Shibuya and Osaka Dotonbori. Captured from social media.

As the video went viral online, commenters reacted by saying, “It’s even more unpleasant because it looks like he’s pretending it was accidental,” “We should be careful in crowded places while traveling,” and “The fact that it happened not just once or twice but multiple times strongly suggests intent.”

In 2020, a man in his 40s was arrested near Kamata Station in Tokyo’s Ota Ward for repeatedly making physical contact with women as he brushed by them. At the time, local media reported that the man was accused of targeting women’s chest areas, making contact as he bumped into them. During previous investigations, he reportedly confessed to having engaged in similar behavior on multiple occasions.

Travelers Advised to Beware of Deliberate Collisions, Known as 'Butsukari'

This latest video has garnered particular attention because Japan has witnessed repeated issues of so-called “Butsukari,” where individuals intentionally make physical contact by targeting specific people in crowded places. “Butsukari Otoko” or “Butsukari Ojisan” are colloquial Japanese terms referring to men who deliberately bump into pedestrians at train stations or on the street. In particular, reports on SNS have highlighted that the perpetrators often pick women who are smaller in stature or walking alone as their targets.

One representative incident occurred in 2018 at JR Shinjuku Station. At the time, a video circulated on SNS showed a man walking through the station repeatedly and forcefully bumping into women coming from the opposite direction. The controversy intensified as the footage showed the man passing by men or couples without contact but deliberately colliding with women. East Japan Railway (JR East) called this a dangerous act and urged people to refrain from such behavior.

There have also been cases in which incidents developed beyond simple “shoulder bumping” into criminal cases. In 2019, a man in his 40s was arrested on assault charges at Nijubashimae Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line for deliberately targeting women, such as those looking at their smartphones while walking, and bumping into them. It was reported that among the victims, there were cases where women were physically injured due to the collisions.

Cases of Criminal Conviction for Deliberate Collisions

Experts point out that such intentional collisions do not just constitute nuisance behavior. Legal experts in Japan explain that if someone intentionally causes physical impact on another person, depending on the severity, it could be prosecuted as assault, and if the victim is injured, charges of inflicting bodily harm could apply. In reality, there have been incidents in Japan where people have been arrested or criminally punished for such acts.

In a video previously uploaded on domestic social media, a woman was seen deliberately bumping into a child crossing in front of a pedestrian crosswalk, causing controversy. SNS capture

Especially in crowded places such as subway platforms, stairways, or busy shopping streets, a sudden collision can lead to falls or secondary accidents. For tourists, it may be difficult to identify the perpetrator if they quickly disappear into the crowd right after the incident. Local experts advise that victims should seek immediate assistance from nearby station staff or police instead of confronting the perpetrator directly, and remember details such as the time, location, and the perpetrator’s appearance to aid in reporting. When repeated reports emerge from the same location, authorities may be able to identify suspects using footage from surveillance cameras.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.