Japan’s rude awakening: more ill-tempered Japanese lose their cool in a nation normally known for politeness

The plea from a doctor’s receptionist came from the heart. In her letter published in the “Troubleshooter” column of the Yomiuri newspaper on April 28, the unnamed woman said she was tired of being “a punching bag” for patients’ frustrations.

People “shout angrily” about having to wait to see a doctor, while others demand priority treatment or fly into a rage when she responds to their questions with a smile. The receptionist ended her letter by begging for advice on how to “prepare myself for such patients”.

Advice columnist Junko Umihara, a psychologist, sympathised with the woman’s plight and said she had noticed an increase in signs at reception desks asking people to be polite to staff – but offered little in the way of advice, other than to suggest that the head of her medical institution take steps to protect her.

“I can definitely see it around us more and more every day,” said Izumi Tsuji, a sociologist and professor of culture at Tokyo’s Chuo University.

While there appeared to be no empirical evidence available, he said more people in Japan could be resorting to rudeness and aggression when faced with polite resistance for several reasons.

“People who sense they are in a weaker position in a situation have realised that if they argue and push back, then they put themselves in a stronger position,” Tsuji said.

Observers say younger people and women are increasingly using this tactic, safe in the knowledge that the person being argued with represents a company or organisation and that – under the unwritten rules of Japan’s business world – it would be inappropriate for members of staff to argue back, even if they are clearly in the right.

“I also think that there is greater miscommunication in Japanese society,” Tsuji