Recent reports have emerged that disciplinary measures were implemented against a fire sergeant and nine additional personnel at a Japanese fire department for engaging in board games during work hours, leaving the public both shocked and fascinated by the situation.
According to reports from Mainichi Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun, the Inazawa City Fire Department located in Aichi Prefecture disclosed on April 10 that they had suspended a fire sergeant in his forties for a month after pressuring his colleagues to take part in board games while on duty. Additionally, nine crew members who joined in received written warnings.
The activities took place from July 2024 through January 2025, with the fire sergeant allegedly compelling his coworkers to engage in board games he had personally designed, using rules based on various card and word games. The staff members were required to spend even their rest periods playing these games, while those who declined faced cold treatment from the sergeant. The situation was exposed when an employee reported it to authorities in January. In his defense, the fire sergeant claimed his actions were meant to foster team communication, expressing “deep” regret.
The report indicates that approximately 10 different board games were present at the fire station, all of which the sergeant had crafted by writing on blank paper. One of the disciplined employees had participated in these games 14 times during duty hours, accumulating an impressive 35 hours. Even more surprisingly, among the participants was the fire chief himself, who also faced disciplinary action.
An interesting aspect of this case is that no money was exchanged between players, eliminating any gambling elements. This detail has piqued the curiosity of the Japanese public, with users on X proposing various conspiracy theories about what actually transpired – ranging from speculation that the sergeant desperately needed playtesters for his game prototypes to the point of committing power harassment; to theories suggesting the homemade games were exceptionally entertaining and everyone was actually “in on it” (this likely stems from reports that several personnel allegedly conspired to conceal the incident after its discovery). Of course, the reported facts indicate that employees faced consequences for refusing, which unquestionably constitutes workplace harassment and is a serious matter, despite the seemingly lighthearted nature of improvised board games.