Does catcalling happen in East Asia? If so, is it a big issue?

In my country, the Philippines, it is a very prevalent and common thing. These comments happen often in the street and are often directed towards women and foreigners. For instance, I remember being catcalled often because I looked paler than most Filipinos (I'm of Chinese descent and 1/8 Russian, by the way). They would often say things like "hey, handsome,", etc. Currently, the government is trying to fight this through street promotions and campaigns.

Catcalling: The hidden threat and prejudice

It is extremely rare, if it ever happens. In East Asian countries, it is rude to display your sexuality so overtly. People are a lot more conservative there and public displays of affection are frowned upon. Catcalling is a very forward act and in East Asian countries, overt flirting is not really done in public, especially with strangers. People are expected to act properly and to be so loud, crude, and overtly sexual would be considered a flagrant violation of that. There is something very immodest about catcalling and that also violates the social norm of modesty in East Asian countries. If you choose to catcall, you will be seen as an oafish boor whose parents shamefully did not raise you properly. In South Korea, family background is emphasized and if you display such crudeness, that will be put into doubt, putting your prospects of marriage and employment at risk. You will not be popular at the very least.

Yes, surprisingly.

I am a Westerner and went on holiday to Japan a few weeks back with my friend. We both got catcalled in Tokyo when crossing the street by a man and then we went to Kyoto where it only got worse. I had one drunk Japanese man decide it was okay to rub his shoulders up against me when walking past him. I live in Australia and I hardly ever get catcalled here. It’s a huge shock and I thought that in Japanese culture catcalling is frowned upon. I assumed it was even better than Australia.