crime

3 unacquainted men arrested for molesting schoolgirl on train

43 Comments

Police in Hyogo Prefecture said Thursday they have arrested three men in connection with an incident in which a 17-year-old girl was molested on a JR train.

According to police, the three office workers surrounded and groped the high school student on a Fukuchiyama Line passenger train in Hyogo Prefecture on June 12. The train was not full at the time and a male passenger saw them and alerted station police. The girl has filed a criminal complaint.

TV Asahi reported that a police investigation revealed that each of the men was employed at a different company and were not acquainted with one another. An investigation is underway to establish how and why the men targeted the girl, police said, adding that the suspects may have been in contact through a website for gropers.

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43 Comments
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Being a young girl on a train can be scary. Have seen an old man approach a girl about 15 saying 20,000 yen, 20,000 while she sat in fear and nobody around said anything. Don't expect her to get much in compensation either JA Cruise.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Several ppl were asking what the honey pot scam would be in this case.

Perhaps "honeypot" is not the best name, I might just say "false accusations", but it works like this:

The girl rubs up against a guy and accuses him of moltsting her. She could also rub up against a guy hoping to get him to rub back somehow, which would make her claim easier to make. The third option is to just stand near a guy.

After this step has been accomplished, shout "chikan!" and get the attention of the stn attendants, or threaten to do so. Having a cohort nearby act as a witness will help, also keep you safe if things start to go sour.

You can get money from a guy desparate to save his good name from prosecution, or you can just "get back" at all guys by prosecuting him. I hear about this semi-regularly.

In this case, who knows if that was what happened or if it was a real attack. The subways are very scary, when you start thinking about stuff like this.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

TV Asahi reported that a police investigation revealed that each of the men was employed at a different company and were not acquainted with one another. An investigation is underway to establish how and why the men targeted the girl, police said, adding that the suspects may have been in contact through a website for gropers.

In which case they WERE acquainted with each other, just not on a face-to-face basis... or they were (gasp!) lying O.o

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Maybe they thought they were filming a cheap J-porn movie. The sexual deviancy, primarily consisting of rape fantasies, underage schoolgirls, train groping and bondage, of Japanese men is disturbing enough, but when you add it to the fact that they aren't having sex with their wives it really stands out.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This is unacceptable! Why is their a damn website for gropers! Sorry but train gropers are one of the nastiest type of people to me.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

These guys should be given free tickets to New York, London or somewhere with a tempting subway system, and then see what happens.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Flabbergasted! All I can think is "only in Japan."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is Japan, this kind of thing is tolerated. These guy probably in elementary school engaged in skirt meguri (スカートめくり) or skirt flip. Heard that probably because of this some schools have set dress codes so girls don't wear skirts. Seems like the "women only" cars thing. Because Japan doesn't want to punish the boys, they force restrictions on girls. Maybe someday, women in Japan will have to wear burkas.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If it was "opportunism" it is very scary. 2channellers have found the photo of one of them online. He looks like a nice young man. Imagine....There you are getting raped, so you appeal for help to a nice young man in the same car, who joins in raping you.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

ChibaChick their are some men here,when they see a beautiful girl,their gestures are always awkward and inappropriate, some are simply do not know how to start a normal and a polite communication

Awkward and inappropriate??!!! THEY GANG-MOLESTED HER!!!! Thats not "awkward" although I will give you nappropriate - IT IS PLAIN WRONG! These were not shy men trying to talk to the pretty young new office lady. She was a 17 year old schoolgirl - probably in uniform - and they were grown men attacking her on a train! They were NOT trying to "start a normal and polite conversation"! I cant believe you are defending them!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

"the train was not full at the time"

It must have been after 11pm.

These 3 men must not have been brought up right...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

**Wrong: The problem IS in their genes, but spelled 'jeans'. No self control and definitely no respect for women in general.

They need a serious beat down by the victims father and male relatives.**

I'm glad you find this so amusing you need to make puns.

No, the victim's father and male relatives, while probably being upset, no doubt don't see men and women as equals. Take a lot at the bra thread to see how "enlightened" the foreign males are when it comes to such things.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

lol so this news is telling us those fantasy depictions in jporn actually occur in real life...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

How come it happen in a busy train?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I got groped on a busy train a couple of months ago buy a drunk salary man I changed position with a girl standing behind him to make space for more people. His hand wandered thinking she was still there, and what a shock he got when he grabbed my hardware He apologised and bowed to me about a thousand time

I wonder if she would have got the same apology??

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Despite the disproportionate coverage leading to general paranoia and hilarity among jt users when riding trains, trapping is fairly unusual. And what they usually don't actually do is go to the police since you're really unlikely to bother paying blackmail from the slammer.

So what you are saying is, that despite the fact that they don't usually go to police and there is therefore no record, you know just how unusual it is?

Also, the article says the scene was viewed and reported by an unrelated passenger. If anything speaks in your favor, its the fact that she filed a criminal complaint. But then, it could just be covering. I don't know. Which is why I wish the police luck in sorting it, and I hope they do actually sort it and not rely on any "but usually-ies".

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

tmarie said: ''Learned behaviour. I certainly don't think it is in their genes''

Wrong: The problem IS in their genes, but spelled 'jeans'. No self control and definitely no respect for women in general.

They need a serious beat down by the victims father and male relatives.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

These perverts need taking round the back of the nearest koban and have 7 kinds of snot kicked out of them. Seriously guys like these make me sick.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

'Boys will be boys' is ridiculous

And what makes it even worse is that the mothers of these men are the ones that taught them this and allow then to believe that women are beneath men.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I also agree with tmarie. Society allows this, to an extent, because it's 'expected' of men to not be able to control themselves. 'Boys will be boys' is ridiculous, wrong, and is only an excuse for this type of behavior and more. I also agree with ham21- make a list.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

relax.. they're probably only shooting a "movie". was there a passenger in a beret nearby?

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Agree with tmarie.

And add once you get out of jail be deported and refused entry into Japan again. Not worth it.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

There is a need for a "sex offender" public registration list in Japan. Once convicted, you would have to report where you live on a public listing. No more would they be able to hide what they've done from their companies or friends. Public Shame might be the deterrent that's needed.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

There was an incident a couple of months back, where a woman was molested by a man on a train. He said he had arranged it with her online, she said not. It turned out that someone who knew her routine had set her up to be molested by pretending to be her online.

I wonder if this was the same?

But perhaps one of them had been observing her for some time, knew her schedule, and set it up. Bastards.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

What IS it with these pathetic Japanese men and their inability to control themselves?

Learned behaviour. I certainly don't think it is in their genes but look at the fantasy rape porn and the like. Look at the hostess clubs, soap lands, look at the porn on the bottom/eye level racks of the shops here... They learn from a very early age that as men, women are just merely objects to be used and played with. It does not help that many women here play the innocent, dumb, helpless women and think men find it attractive. I don't think it is attractive but more a sense of power.

Good for this girl for filing charges. Why have these guy's names not been released? We know the 21 year old in the Hiroshima issue, why are these guys being protected?

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Scott JohnsonJul. 19, 2013 - 07:17AM JST

Honey trap just how? This girl hanging around the train all afternoon hoping someone will grope her? Despite the disproportionate coverage leading to general paranoia and hilarity among jt users when riding trains, trapping is fairly unusual. And what they usually don't actually do is go to the police since you're really unlikely to bother paying blackmail from the slammer.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

From a criminal standpoint, it makes sense. They could all three say nothing happened, so it would be 3 against 1. At least in theory, but in this case there were witnesses. I suppose if there weren't any witnesses, it would be tougher to prosecute if only the girl step forward.

That being said if this happened in one of many western countries, (and maybe even some Eastern ones) there wouldn't have been a police report, there would have been a beat down.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Well they are kind of acquainted as they allegedly groped the same girl.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

It amazes me how any sane guy would risk the chance of getting arrested, losing their job, big fine, maybe some jail time and possibly losing their family (if married) for the sake of trying to cop a free feel on the train???

Never seen or heard of train groping until coming to Japan.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

I'm not sure I understand the 'honey trap' in this context. Are people saying that a girl will expressly ask a man to grope her on a train and then scream for help and try to get money? Or is it a girl who dresses/acts in a way that attracts would-be gropers to her on purpose and if one takes the bait, she tries to get money?

Train gropers should be publicly shamed. Names and photos put up at all stations for 6 months. Not only would this shame them but when the stations run out of wall space due to the number of photos, the public might be spurred into action an it might get the attention of the idiot politicians.

Not to detract from the seriousness of this, but the headline saying 'school girl' seems engineered for extra attention. At 17', 'high school student' might have been more accurate.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Anyone remember the story where the boss at Kanebo forced his worker to wear bunny ears, photographed her and used as an example in training videos after she failed to reach her targets? How about these pathetic specimens being dressed in female high school uniforms, photographed, and having full length photos displayed at all stations on that line. Granted some of them may enjoy it, but I think the majority would be humiliated.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Another person rang the alarm, a step in the good direction!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

I feel very sorry for the schoolgirl, she must have been terrified having 3 guys molesting her. This sort of thing can affect her psyche for life. They should each pay her JPY10M each as retribution.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Someone else had to alert the police. My tentative guess is that the real victim probably wouldn't speak out for herself for fear of being called a 'honey trap' and 'asking for it.' I hate the gropers and I hate the honey trappers. Just leave the decent people alone and go live out in the woods!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I dont understand. I mean - I commuted into London for 5 years and NEVER saw or heard of the kind of stuff that goes down (pun unintended!) in Tokyo on a daily basis. Not saying it didnt happen, but it was nothing like this. What IS it with these pathetic Japanese men and their inability to control themselves? It is scary and inexcusable, but at its basest level it is also just so flipping childish.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

Once and for all, the Judges should order the police to cut the hands and penises of those culprits. I can't imagine to commit such crimes in the public train. Japan should shave the sex-offenders heads, chain, and paraded them in the public in every cities to protect our daughters. My suggestion might be extreme, but I feel they are even not enough for my satisfaction.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

Their hanging fruits need to be harvested.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

I don't know if police are monitoring these sites or not, but it sounds like they are pretty easily accessible (the sites). If the police are NOT monitoring them, they should be, and they should be taking down names and/or pics, and watching for meeting places in order to nail people (with as much given info as possible... obviously a lot of contact will be through private emails). Use the sites, and others for that matter, as a means of catching these idiots, then when the sites start to show a drop in users, shut the sites down.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

My wife tells me this is standard procedure for these guys. They don't know each other (at least names etc) and want to keep it that way so they can can presumably protest innocence. But they know each other by sight and get on the same carriage. Tactics.

Very happy they are caught.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

This is taking sick stuff to new extremes. It's scary to think of what's coming next.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Internet website from gropers? REALLY? Can't imagine what kind of dialog happens on that site. "Let's all get together and gang bang a poor innocent teenager on a train"...ugh!

7 ( +11 / -4 )

I am not ruling out sheer opportunism where the other two just joined in on what the first started, or some online connection. But I am not ruling out a complete honey trap either. Honey trap gangs exist just as do groper gangs.

Good luck police in sorting this out, if sorting this out is what you want to do, rather than just condemn the most convenient and move on.

-3 ( +8 / -11 )

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