Japan gets tough to deter gropers on trains, protect women as alarming ‘chikan’ problem persists
- The authorities have detected a spike in online messages among would-be molesters sharing tips to target students on trains ahead of the exam season
- Among the preventive measures, police are stepping up patrols while railway firms are installing more surveillance cameras to deter chikan
The exams are taking place in the latter part of this week for universities in Tokyo while those in surrounding prefectures are scheduled to conclude on Saturday, which means tens of thousands of teenagers will be riding unfamiliar train lines to reach testing centres.
Entrance tests are due to go on longer in other parts of the country, including Osaka and Fukuoka, with countermeasures against chikan also being stepped up in those cities.
Blatant groping is a problem that Japanese women have had to endure on public transport for decades, but police are being more forceful than usual in their campaign to clamp down on the perpetrators after noting an increase in online posts and exchanges encouraging would-be molesters to target students.
The Asahi newspaper reported that authorities had seen an uptick in messages suggesting that female students would be distracted by their upcoming exams, but also less likely to report an assault to railway staff or the police out of fear they will be late for the start of their exams.