OSAKA -- More workers in Japan are using "business names" instead of their real names at work to protect their privacy and stop harassment from customers.

In June, a 28-year-old woman at a funeral company in Osaka started using the name "Minori Horiuchi" at work. Her real last name is very rare, and she was worried people could find her or her family online. She said, "It's not that something happened in the past, but I'm using this (business name) to prevent any issue in the future."

At her job, she wears a name tag and uses her business name for emails and business cards. She said, "Before, I sometimes gave my name to customers and sometimes didn't, but now I can introduce myself with confidence." She also worries that customers sometimes post real staff names online, even if they do not mean harm.

Her company started using business names after some staff got phone calls that were close to sexual harassment. The company said, "We introduced business names to protect employees from a particular kind of customer." They know some customers may think business names are not honest, but the company says, "It doesn't affect the quality of service, so the challenge is how to help customers understand this."

Other places, like city offices and bus companies, also let staff use business names. Some stores and cafes now use only letters or job titles on name tags.

Kenji Tsukagoshi, a university lecturer, said, "Names themselves have become a risk, as people can write unverified things about you on social media. So there is merit in being able to prevent damage in advance. A name is the ultimate form of identity. Using a business name allows people to separate their work from private life."

(Japanese original by Yuichi Nakagawa, Osaka Photo and Video Department)

Vocabulary

business name: a name used at work that is not your real name

privacy: keeping your personal information safe

harassment: when someone treats you badly or makes you feel uncomfortable

News in Easy English: More workers in Japan use 'business names' to protect privacy