The incident, captured in a video posted on the Peipeilin527 account on 25/2, occurred at Shibuya crossing, a bustling shopping area in Tokyo. The footage shows a girl with pigtails and a blue bow, smiling brightly as she turns to pose for a photo. A woman approaching from behind first nudges another girl with her elbow, then forcefully shoves the girl with the bow, sending her out of frame. The woman in the blue shirt quickly walked away without looking back, amidst the filmer's surprised exclamation.
The account owner, identified as a Taiwanese mother who regularly shares her daughter's daily life, stated: "We came to take photos at the famous Shibuya crossing, but we never expected someone with ill intent to forcefully push my child". In a subsequent post the next day, she confirmed her daughter had fallen to her knees but was not seriously injured.
The video ignited a heated online debate, drawing condemnation from social media users. User takac-ww commented in Japanese on X: "I think it's truly regrettable that a young child experienced fear and pain, especially after traveling all the way to Japan for tourism". ForgetfulSquirr1 added: "No country permits intentionally shoving a child just because they paused briefly at a crosswalk. I hope the child was not seriously injured". Another user, Mizuho2014, expressed: "Exactly. I don't know this woman's nationality, but there are many such people in Japan. It's truly regrettable, a sad incident".
Japanese media reported that some suspect the woman belongs to Japan's "collision tribe", a term for individuals who intentionally bump into pedestrians. This behavior is not an isolated incident; many similar occurrences have been recorded in bustling commercial areas like Shinjuku, Ueno, and Shibuya in Tokyo, as well as Shinsaibashi in Osaka.
According to reports, some individuals in Japan deliberately use their elbows or shoulders to collide with others as "a form of social revenge, similar to random attacks". On online discussion forums, this behavior is sometimes described as a way for individuals to release work or life pressure by bumping into pedestrians. Women or smaller individuals are often targeted more frequently. User person6426 wrote: "This behavior reflects how some Japanese choose to vent life's pressures on strangers, specifically targeting vulnerable groups like tourists and children".
However, some commenters also argue that stopping in the middle of a crowded intersection for photos is inappropriate. One commenter noted: "Tourists stopping like that at certain intersections can be annoying".
Hong Hanh (According to Global Times/Straits Times)
