British tourist arrested in Japan for assaulting convenience store clerk over plastic bag

A dispute over a plastic bag charge escalated into a violent altercation in Sapporo, Japan, leading to the arrest of a 48-year-old British tourist.

Tourist behaviour is under particular scrutiny at present, with cases of shoplifting on the rise across Japan.

The incident occurred at approximately 01:40am on the morning of January 27th in Kita-ku, Sapporo.

The British man, who is a self-proclaimed IT manager, made a purchase at a convenience store, paying via the self-checkout.

After paying, he picked up a plastic bag located near the self checkout and attempted to leave without paying the 3 yen charge for the bag.

Self checkout in Japanese convenience store — The British man paid via a self checkout terminal, but neglected to pay the 3 yen charge for a plastic bag

As he was attempting to take a bag without paying, a store employee who had observed the situation confronted the tourist.

An argument ensued and spilled out onto the street outside the convenience store. It quickly turned violent, with the tourist allegedly punching the employee in the face, causing minor injuries.

The employee immediately contacted the police, and the tourist was apprehended shortly afterward.

Hokkaido Police — Police were called by staff members, with the suspect apprehended shortly thereafter

During questioning, the tourist partially admitted to the assault, claiming that while he did not intentionally punch the employee, he did push them and that his hand may have accidentally struck them during this exchange.

Though the cost of the bag was minimal, convenience store staff have a duty to enforce payment for goods including plastic bags and rightfully challenged the tourist.

Seven eleven Japan staff member — Clerks in convenience stores in Japan don’t typically expect to be assaulted over plastic bags

Whilst we can imagine there was a language barrier, as most tourists lack anything beyond basic Japanese skills, the British man would likely have known why store staff had stopped him as he tried to leave the store, as plastic bag charges are common in British convenience stores/supermarkets.

Whether the tourist understood the objection from store staff or not, there is no excuse for resorting to physical violence and the British man is now under formal investigation.

Negative stories about tourists are becoming increasingly common and positive public perception of foreign travellers in Japan is rapidly decreasing in some areas.

Fortunately, as most tourists are polite and respectful of Japan’s customs and its people, this incident is likely to be chalked up to the actions of a single disrespectful individual as opposed to being used as an indicator of a more widespread trend.