TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Some 35 percent of local government officials in Japan have faced overbearing or abusive behavior from members of the public, a government survey showed Friday, more than three times higher than found in a separate study on private-sector workers.

The result of the survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications over workplace harassment in the past three years suggests that public officials, who are considered "servants of the whole community" under the Constitution, regularly receive unreasonable requests from the taxpayers they are paid to serve.

"Private companies can choose their customers, but local governments need to offer administrative services to everyone, which may have impacted the outcome," a ministry official said.

As the issue of "kasu-hara," a Japanese slang term for harassment by customers, increasingly enters public consciousness, more local governments and companies are taking action to protect workers.

The survey of public servants, conducted in November and December, covered 388 randomly selected local governments across Japan and received 11,507 responses from those working in the administrative sector, excluding teachers.

The survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare targeting companies and other private entities showed in May last year that 10.8 percent of employees had experienced overwhelming or abusive behavior from customers.

The government has submitted to parliament an amendment bill requiring companies to establish clear rules against abuse by customers and the public and set up a system for victims to file complaints. Municipalities will also be required to take steps to address the issue.

While a Japanese phrase referring to customers as "gods," given their perceived power over service workers, has been widely accepted in Japan for decades, attitudes are slowly evolving.