Firefighter suspended for forcing coworkers to play DIY board games while on duty

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A firefighter in Japan was recently suspended from duty because of handmade board games he created.

The fire department in Inazawa City, Japan, is dealing with a strange situation. A sergeant, who is in his 40s, reportedly forced his coworkers to play his personally-made board games during work hours for half a year. The story has gone viral online, leading many to believe there’s a deeper issue than just a simple mistake at work, and it’s easy to understand why people think that.

Firefighter forced coworkers to play his homemade board games, then ordered them to cover it up

On April 10th, the department announced a one-month suspension for a sergeant. An investigation revealed that between July 2024 and January 2025, he had pressured coworkers into playing his own games while on the job, even during their scheduled breaks and nap times.

More than ten games were created by hand on paper, inspired by card games and word association. One staff member played a total of 35 hours over 14 sessions. According to the Asahi Shimbun, a fire commander ranked in the top 50 also participated and received an official warning as a result.

The sergeant allegedly directed his team to create false records to hide the meetings, and after a concerned individual revealed the misconduct in January, he tried to cover it up with the others involved. He later explained to investigators that the meetings were intended as a way to improve teamwork, and stated he is “deeply sorry” for what he did.

No one was betting or gambling during these meetings. This fact, along with the attempt to hide what happened and the fire commander’s involvement, led to a flurry of speculation online in Japan. Many users on X wondered if the sergeant had been secretly testing games on his coworkers, hoping to sell them later.

Some people interpreted the attempts to hide how much fun everyone was having as proof the games were actually great, and that everyone was secretly enjoying them. The term “board game harassment,” or “bodoha,” originated in a discussion on Togetter and has become popular since then.

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2026-04-20 21:48