Recently, a Taiwanese girl in Tokyo’s Shibuya district was elbowed in the back and sent flying by a woman in blue. After a video of the incident spread, not only did social media in Taiwan erupt with discussion, but foreign media also reported on it. On Japanese platforms like X and Threads, netizens expressed outrage that a woman would assault a child, labeling it as a violent crime. Reportedly, the perpetrator has been doxxed, attempted to explain her behavior by saying she was 'in a hurry,' and some Japanese netizens are claiming she is a repeat offender.
In recent years, Japan has seen a phenomenon known as 'shoulder-bumping,' mostly occurring around metropolitan train stations. Earlier victims were mostly young women, but recently, many foreign tourists have reported similar experiences. The video of the Taiwanese girl sparked debates on Japanese social media, with widespread criticism of the issue.
David, a Taiwanese citizen living in Japan, who runs the account “David Japan Struggle Diary | Japanese Food・Travel・Life Views” posted on Threads that the Japanese 'shoulder-bumping auntie' is now trending on X: “Although Japanese people only rate the nuisance level as C+, the notes even say she is a repeat offender.” It appears many have stepped forward to identify her, and the post has now accumulated over 8.6 million views, “with some commenters saying she’s actually S+, not just C+.”
Under the Threads topic 'Japan Shoulder-Bumping Demon,' netizens discussed: “I saw Japanese people saying they were also bumped by the same person in Shibuya. If that’s true, she’s really a repeat offender,” “She’s been found—she’s Japanese, someone posted it. She admitted it herself, saying she was in a rush, but the video looks like she deliberately swung her elbows to both sides,” “Actually she bumped into the man on her left first, then into the child on her right. I think she’s a repeat offender,” and “Over 10 million people have watched the original video now.”
Another Taiwanese expat, who’s lived in Japan for 21 years and runs “WHY LOW LIFE,” posted on Threads emphasizing, “This is definitely a Japanese person, let’s not speculate about whether she’s Chinese or not. In Japan, the ‘shoulder-bumping tribe’ includes both men and women of all ages. They’ve always existed and have been around for a long time—I’ve experienced it myself. Don’t say things like ‘the girl was at fault for playing around’ or ‘she deserved it for being bumped’; these bumpers will come for you even if you’re just walking normally.”
Many Taiwanese netizens believe Japanese people are gentle and courteous and wouldn’t purposely bump into others. “WHY LOW LIFE” responded, “The kind of people who do this are only Japanese. The shoulder-bumping tribe is a uniquely Japanese phenomenon—even Japanese people find them troublesome.”
Other netizens shared: “I’ve lived in Japan for 4 years and have been deliberately bumped multiple times. These people really exist,” “I’ve been bumped twice in Japan—the way they did it was exactly like this woman,” “When I was crossing the road in Kyoto, someone bumped into me really hard. At the time, I didn’t even know about the shoulder-bumping tribe—it was super painful,” “I was bumped once in Japan and my iPhone dropped right out of my hand. When I went after the woman to confront her, she just completely ignored me,” “When I traveled to Tokyo, I saw three different strangers get bumped within six days. Now, whenever I walk through crowded stations, I feel super anxious.”
David, a Taiwanese citizen living in Japan, who runs the account “David Japan Struggle Diary | Japanese Food・Travel・Life Views” posted on Threads that the Japanese 'shoulder-bumping auntie' is now trending on X: “Although Japanese people only rate the nuisance level as C+, the notes even say she is a repeat offender.” It appears many have stepped forward to identify her, and the post has now accumulated over 8.6 million views, “with some commenters saying she’s actually S+, not just C+.”
Under the Threads topic 'Japan Shoulder-Bumping Demon,' netizens discussed: “I saw Japanese people saying they were also bumped by the same person in Shibuya. If that’s true, she’s really a repeat offender,” “She’s been found—she’s Japanese, someone posted it. She admitted it herself, saying she was in a rush, but the video looks like she deliberately swung her elbows to both sides,” “Actually she bumped into the man on her left first, then into the child on her right. I think she’s a repeat offender,” and “Over 10 million people have watched the original video now.”
Another Taiwanese expat, who’s lived in Japan for 21 years and runs “WHY LOW LIFE,” posted on Threads emphasizing, “This is definitely a Japanese person, let’s not speculate about whether she’s Chinese or not. In Japan, the ‘shoulder-bumping tribe’ includes both men and women of all ages. They’ve always existed and have been around for a long time—I’ve experienced it myself. Don’t say things like ‘the girl was at fault for playing around’ or ‘she deserved it for being bumped’; these bumpers will come for you even if you’re just walking normally.”
Many Taiwanese netizens believe Japanese people are gentle and courteous and wouldn’t purposely bump into others. “WHY LOW LIFE” responded, “The kind of people who do this are only Japanese. The shoulder-bumping tribe is a uniquely Japanese phenomenon—even Japanese people find them troublesome.”
Other netizens shared: “I’ve lived in Japan for 4 years and have been deliberately bumped multiple times. These people really exist,” “I’ve been bumped twice in Japan—the way they did it was exactly like this woman,” “When I was crossing the road in Kyoto, someone bumped into me really hard. At the time, I didn’t even know about the shoulder-bumping tribe—it was super painful,” “I was bumped once in Japan and my iPhone dropped right out of my hand. When I went after the woman to confront her, she just completely ignored me,” “When I traveled to Tokyo, I saw three different strangers get bumped within six days. Now, whenever I walk through crowded stations, I feel super anxious.”