An Indian traveler has alleged that he was subjected to racist treatment at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture after asking staff to reheat his food, an incident that has sparked debate on social media over the treatment of foreign visitors in the country.
The allegations were made in a video posted on Instagram, according to the traveler, the store owner became aggressive after learning he was from India, called the police, and accused him of wrongdoing. He claimed that after reviewing the situation, Japanese police determined he had done nothing wrong, treated him respectfully and reprimanded the store owner.
Traveler recounts confrontation at convenience store
In the video, the traveler said the incident began when he entered a 7-Eleven store in Shizuoka and asked a staff member to heat a meal he had purchased.
According to the video, a Nepali employee agreed to help and began reheating the food. However, he alleged that a woman, whom he identified as the store owner, rushed over, began shouting and questioned him about where he was from.
"I said, 'I'm from India,' and then she called the police," the traveler said in the video.
{{/usCountry}}"I said, 'I'm from India,' and then she called the police," the traveler said in the video.
{{/usCountry}}He claimed officers arrived within minutes after the store owner contacted them. The traveler said he had been recording the interaction and asked police to review the footage before making any decision.
According to him, officers examined the video and concluded that he had not done anything wrong.
"They apologized to me," he said in the video, adding that police reprimanded the store owner instead of taking action against him.
Thanks police, praises Nepali employee
The traveler also expressed gratitude to a Nepali employee at the store, alleging that the staff member tried to support his version of events despite facing pressure during the confrontation.
He further claimed that the employee may have later lost his job because he refused to back the allegations against him. However, no evidence has been presented to support that claim.
Ending his video, the traveler thanked Japanese police for what he described as their professional handling of the incident.
"These people are really very nice people. Thanks to Japan Police," he said.
The episode has since prompted discussions on social media about the experiences of Indian and other foreign visitors in Japan. While many users praised the police response described in the video, others urged caution, stating that only the traveler's account has been made public.