Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is when one person engages in sexual conduct and/or speech, either intentionally or unintentionally, towards another person, which causes discomfort.

Sexual harassment is a prominent issue in any nation, but dealing with such a situation can be much more difficult in an unfamiliar culture. This page is designed to help you understand sexual harassment and how to deal with it if you experience or witness it during your time in Nagano.

If in a public place:

  • Do not hesitate to firmly tell the harasser to stop.
  • You decide when you are uncomfortable, regardless of who the source is, where it occurs, or who else is present.
  • Move away if possible, or, if necessary, enlist the aid of onlookers.
  • Useful words:
    • chikan/痴漢 (molester)
    • tōsatsu/盗撮 (up-skirt photo/taking a photo of someone without their consent)
  • Breathe. Take care of yourself. You are not alone!!
  • Suggested reading: A tip on how to deescalate a situation if you are a bystander and are unsure if harassment is taking place: How to stop a chikan pervert from groping on a Japanese train.
    • Anata no mae no hito, meiwaku sou dakara sukoshi hanarete agetara? / あなたの前の人、迷惑そうだから少し離れてあげたら？ (The person in front of you looks bothered so why don’t you step back a little?)

If at school or if it is occurring at work:

  • See if there is a trusted counselor or coworker who can give situation-specific advice.
  • Sexual harassment is illegal, and the law requires organizations to take measures against sexual harassment.
  • If the situation continues or escalates, be sure to keep a record of what/where/when something was done/said and who was present. Try to write down what happened on the same day the harassment occurred, and try to be as detailed as you can.
  • For more information, check out this AJET article.

Contact someone:

  • If you feel comfortable, contact your Block Leaders.
  • Contact the police and/or your PAs
    • If the situation requires legal or police intervention, they and the Japanese PAs will do their best to help you navigate the situation.
  • If you would rather not discuss the issue with any of the above, be sure to at least share your feelings about it with a friend. Sexual harassment can be a traumatising experience and it is important to talk about it rather than bottling up those feelings!

Emergency numbers:

counselling services:

  • CLAIR JET Counselling offer email and Skype call counselling sessions. See this page for more details.
  • TELL and AJET PSG offer free counselling services throughout the day.

Inquiries related to sexual harassment:

Equal Employment Department
Prefectural Labor Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
Nagano Branch

TEL: 026-227-0125 (Japanese only)

This page was updated on 2019/8/20.