A systematic classification of major types of harassment recognized in Japan.
Overview
Types of Harassment
This list systematically compiles major types of harassment recognized in Japanese workplaces and society. It covers legally defined harassment such as sexual harassment, power harassment, and maternity harassment, as well as socially recognized forms like moral harassment, academic harassment, and bad mood harassment. With legal changes including the Power Harassment Prevention Act of 2020 and the upcoming mandatory customer harassment prevention in 2025, organizations are required to implement appropriate harassment countermeasures, and this list serves as foundational reference material for such efforts.
harassment
workplace environment
labor law
human rights
compliance
| code | slug | name | description | abbreviation | legalStatus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| power | power-harassment | Power Harassment | Acts that harm workers' employment environment through conduct based on superior relationships in the workplace. | Power-Hara | statutory |
| sexual | sexual-harassment | Sexual Harassment | Acts where workers suffer disadvantages or their employment environment is harmed by unwelcome sexual conduct. | Seku-Hara | statutory |
| maternity | maternity-harassment | Maternity Harassment | Acts that harm female workers' employment environment through conduct related to pregnancy, childbirth, or childcare leave use. | Mata-Hara | statutory |
| moral | moral-harassment | Moral Harassment | Harassment that violates morals or ethics and causes psychological distress to others. | Mora-Hara | social |
| money | money-harassment | Money Harassment | Acts that cause distress through money-related matters, or financial harassment and unfair treatment. | Mane-Hara | social |
| academic | academic-harassment | Academic Harassment | Harassment in universities or research institutions where faculty abuse their educational or research authority. | Aka-Hara | social |
| bad-mood | bad-mood-harassment | Bad Mood Harassment | Acts of showing one's bad mood through tone or attitude, causing discomfort or intimidation to others. | Fuki-Hara | social |
| customer | customer-harassment | Customer Harassment | Acts where workers' employment environment is harmed by socially unacceptable conduct from customers. | Kasu-Hara | social |
| paternity | paternity-harassment | Paternity Harassment | Harassment that male workers receive for using childcare leave or similar systems. | Pata-Hara | statutory |
| care | care-harassment | Care Harassment | Harassment or disadvantageous treatment towards employees who provide care while working. | Kea-Hara | statutory |
| alcohol | alcohol-harassment | Alcohol Harassment | General harassment related to alcohol including forced drinking, lack of consideration for non-drinkers, intentional intoxication, and nuisance behavior while drunk. | Aru-Hara | social |
| smoke | smoke-harassment | Smoke Harassment | Harassment by smokers towards non-smokers, including forced smoking or forced exposure to secondhand smoke. | Sumo-Hara | social |
| age | age-harassment | Age Harassment | Harassment based on the other person's age, including defamation or slander linked to age. | Ei-Hara | social |
| smell | smell-harassment | Smell Harassment | Harassment caused by strong smells such as bad breath, body odor, perfume, or fabric softener that cause discomfort to others. | Sume-Hara | social |
| gender | gender-harassment | Gender Harassment | Discrimination or harassment based on social gender differences such as 'masculinity' or 'femininity.' | Jen-Hara | social |
| time-shortening | time-shortening-harassment | Time Shortening Harassment | Forcing overtime restrictions or on-time departure without showing specific measures to reduce working hours or workload. | Jita-Hara | social |
| job-hunting | job-hunting-harassment | Job Hunting Harassment | Sexual harassment or power harassment towards students during job hunting or internship participation. | Shu-Hara | social |
| logical | logical-harassment | Logical Harassment | Harassment that corners others with logic and reasoning, causing psychological distress or discomfort. | Loji-Hara | social |
| remote | remote-harassment | Remote Harassment | Online harassment in remote work environments including excessive monitoring or reprimands based on one-sided assumptions. | Rimo-Hara | social |
| blood-type | blood-type-harassment | Blood Type Harassment | Harassment based on blood type, discriminating by determining personality or ability based on blood type. | Bura-Hara | social |