Video of Japanese woman pushing South Korean child sparks outrage
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The incident appears to resemble cases involving so-called butsukari otoko, a term used in Japan for individuals who deliberately collide with passers-by.
PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM COOING_REVINA/INSTAGRAM
SEOUL – A video showing a South Korean child being pushed by a passer-by at a convenience store in Japan has sparked anger online after it spread widely on social media.
The footage, posted on Instagram by the child’s mother, shows a woman forcefully shoving the girl with a bag as she walks past inside the store. The child, who had been browsing snacks with her father, appears startled and immediately runs towards her mother.
“While I was filming in a convenience store after finishing our schedule, the woman first bumped into me and passed by,” the girl’s mother, surnamed Choi, told The Korea Herald.
“When my daughter approached after seeing that, (the woman) pushed her with her bag as well.”
The incident appears to resemble cases involving so-called butsukari otoko, a term used in Japan for individuals who deliberately collide with passers-by. In such incidents, people forcefully bump into others – sometimes targeting more vulnerable individuals such as women or children – before walking away.
The issue drew international attention recently after a viral video showed a masked woman pushing a Taiwanese tourist’s child taking photos at Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing, causing the child to fall.
Following the spread of that video, the Chinese embassy in Japan urged Chinese nationals to remain cautious in crowded entertainment districts with heavy foot traffic, including Shibuya and Ikebukuro in Tokyo, and Dotonbori in Osaka.
Similar accounts from South Korean tourists in Japan have also surfaced online.
Ms Choi said the incident occurred during a family trip to Nagoya in July 2024 with her husband and their daughter, who was four at the time.
She also decided to share the video from that trip following the recent controversy, and said she received numerous messages from Japanese users apologising for the incident.
“It’s unfortunate that all Japanese people are criticised because of a few inconsiderate individuals,” she added. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
