Society
Japan Enacts First Ordinance Penalizing Harassing Customers
Mie Prefecture in central Japan passed the country's first ordinance on October 13 to penalize harassing customers, allowing fines of up to 500,000 yen (about $3,170) or detention for those who defy cease-and-desist orders. The regulation marks Japan's first legally binding sanctions against customer harassment, known as "kasu-hara," which is increasingly seen as a serious problem for service-industry workers.