The Hokkaido Prefectural Government has launched a special website dedicated to preventing customer harassment, known as 'kasuhara,' against workers ^[1]. The site offers seminars and individual consultations for business operators, held both online and in person across six regions of the prefecture: Hakodate, Asahikawa, Kitami, Obihiro, Kushiro, and Sapporo ^[1].

The seminars are divided into a basic course, offered online only on October 20 from 13:00 to 15:00, and a practical course, offered both online and in person across the six cities between October 23 and December 14 ^[1]. Each seminar is followed by individual consultations with a lawyer, lasting about 20 to 30 minutes per business, which can be booked through the seminar application page on the special website ^[1]. Inquiries can be directed to the operating secretariat, Career Bank Co., Ltd., by phone or email, with contact details listed on the official site ^[1].

This initiative follows the revised Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Measures, which was promulgated on June 11, 2025, and includes a provision making it an obligatory measure for business owners to address kasuhara; the revised law took effect from October 2026 ^[1]. Hokkaido Prefecture has also enacted its own Customer Harassment Prevention Ordinance along with related guidelines, which set out the responsibilities of the prefecture, customers, businesses, and residents in preventing such harassment ^[1].

According to a fiscal 2023 survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare cited by the prefecture, 63.8% of workers who experienced kasuhara reported feeling anger, dissatisfaction, or anxiety, and 46.1% reported reduced motivation to work, with some workers reporting sleep problems or needing medical treatment after repeated incidents ^[1].

For workers facing such harassment, Hokkaido operates a free

Source credit 出典：「北海道カスタマーハラスメント防止対策特設サイト」（北海道）（https://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/kz/rkr/hokkaido-kasuhara.html）、CC BY 4.0（https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ja）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the Hokkaido Prefectural Government did not write or review it.