Screenshots from a video clip show a young girl from Taiwan island being deliberately knocked down by a woman at a crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya, Japan.

A video clip showing a young girl from Taiwan island being deliberately knocked down by a woman while posing to have her photo taken at a crossing in Tokyo has gone viral, sparking heated discussions among netizens. Many expressed outrage over what appeared to be the deliberate targeting of a child, while others pointed to a broader phenomenon in Japan in which individuals reportedly collide with pedestrians in public spaces to vent resentment, condemning what they described as violence hidden beneath a facade of so-called civility.

The video clip, first uploaded by "peipeilin527" on Instagram on Wednesday, opens with a view of the bustling Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, where several tourists can be seen taking photos. As the young girl posed for a picture with a big smile, behind her, however, a woman dressed in blue first elbowed a man who was taking photos and then elbowed away another girl. Moments later, as the woman passed the girl, she forcefully struck the girl with elbow, causing the child to fall hard out of the frame. Amid exclamations from the person filming, the woman in blue quickly walked away without looking back.

User "peipeilin527" wrote alongside the video, "We went to take photos at the famous Shibuya crossing, but unexpectedly, someone with ill intentions forcefully pushed the child." In another post on Thursday, she added that her daughter avoided more serious injury by falling onto her knees. 

Previous Instagram posts by "peipeilin527" indicate that the account is run by a mother in Taiwan region who shares her daughter's daily life.

The footage quickly triggered widespread debate online. While some Japanese netizens expressed outrage over the incident, others speculated about the woman's nationality.

A netizen called @takac_ww wrote in Japanese on X, "I am filled with regret that such a young child was made to feel such fear and pain, even though they came all the way to Japan to enjoy it."  @FogetfulSquirr1 commented in Japanese that "There is no country where intentionally shoving a child is permissible, just because they hesitated for a moment at a crosswalk. I hope this child hasn't been seriously injured." @Mizuho2014 also wrote "That is exactly right. I do not know what nationality this woman is, but there are many people like this in Japan. It is very regrettable, a sad event."

Japanese media outlet Livedoor News reported on the incident on Thursday, noting that an article about the video was circulating on China's social media platform WeChat. The report said that some netizens suspect the woman might belong to the so-called "bumping tribe" in Japan - a term used to describe individuals who deliberately collide with pedestrians.

Many netizens in Taiwan accused the woman in blue of carrying out a deliberate act, describing it as "premeditated" and "outrageous, especially against a child." However, some netizens in Taiwan argued that stopping to take photos in the middle of a busy crosswalk was inappropriate, saying that while the alleged assault was unacceptable, posing in active traffic also raised safety concerns, according to Taiwan media Now News.

In a report on the incident published on Friday, a regional media outlet cited netizens as saying the episode was not an isolated case, noting that similar deliberate collisions have been reported in busy commercial districts such as Shinjuku, Ueno and Shibuya in Tokyo, as well as Shinsaibashi in Osaka. 

They said there are people in Japan who deliberately elbow or shoulder-knock others, describing such behavior as "a form of social retaliation, similar to random attacks." According to online discussions, such behavior is sometimes described as a way for certain individuals to vent workplace or life stress by colliding with pedestrians. Women or physically smaller individuals were said to be more frequently targeted, with some netizens said they had personally witnessed similar incidents.

Following a report on the incident by CTV News, in response to comments suggesting the mother and the girl should reflect on stopping in a busy crossing, netizen @zhoudaya-b6d sarcastically remarked that some people in Taiwan island always describe Japanese people as "polite," yet rarely criticize them for hurting others and instead blame themselves for not being deferential enough.

A netizen, @aperson6426, wrote, "The attack reflects how some Japanese people transfer their life pressures onto strangers, specifically targeting vulnerable groups such as tourists and children to vent their anger. The violence hidden beneath a facade of so-called civility and decorum is far more despicable than overt chaos."