crime

Cop arrested for molesting woman on train

103 Comments

A 52-year-old assistant inspector was arrested under Saitama Prefectural nuisance laws earlier this month, after he allegedly touched the thighs of a 21-year-old woman as she sat next to him on an express train on the Tobu Tojo line, it was learned Tuesday.

The man, an assistant inspector in Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Security Bureau, is accused of touching the woman’s thighs on the outside of her clothes for a period of several minutes at around 9 p.m. on Nov 7.

Police said the assistant inspector went drinking with colleagues after work, despite personnel in the Public Security Bureau being urged not to in the lead-up to U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit.

The assistant inspector, whose name has not been released, initially claimed he was drunk and did not remember the incident, but later admitted to the allegations. He was referred to prosecutors on Nov 9, and was fined and released the same day.

© Wire reports

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103 Comments
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It's true that strange things happen to people when they're drunk, but if it was you who did that then you'd be doing 21 days and a fine or more.It seems that there was some out of court settlement.So if you don't have the money or know the right people, you're stuffed.There's one law for some and................

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Ya, he probably thought he was groping himself! LOL

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he probably thought it was his own thigh.

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Kudos to the woman who had the guts to act out. So many others are not!!

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@tarento

I had an incident on a crowded train where some old dude sitting next to me was falling asleep leaning on my shoulder. I pushed him away. Next thing I know, he ''accidentally'' puts his hand on my knee. And I was wearing blue jeans. I jumped up and yelled at him.

Point is the you don't know what the girl was wearing and these pervs will touch you no matter what you wear. It's all about control with these chikans.

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Something is inspiring these J-males to act this way and I think it's all due to the porno shops and J-movies. The government/J-cops needs to find a resolution as to why their minds are focused in commiting these types of crimes and interrogate these individuals to see what leads them to do this. So the objective would be to find the roots and kill it.

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kyolicious, I want to comment that as a young boy, my mom had always taught me to be protective of my sisters. In one particular situation, when a guy was harassing my sister, I literally "bit him" on his arm like some crazy guard dog. Certainly wouldn't get away with it today, but it's amazing remembering this incident. Perhaps if I were your brother on this train, would I have bit him as well? :-)

Anyway, seriously, do you women not realize the power of your voice as protection? Screaming out "Aaagh, get away from me you pervert!" Does not that not create attention? Does that not create embarassment towards the perpetrator, an alleged pervert? That seems to me the most logical solution where you create attention, focus others towards the perpetrator, yet merely create embarassment without a physical interaction. Sadly, men are men. He should have been better behaved, just as in this situation. My advice is to use attention and embarassment as your first level of protection. That way, no harm done if mistaken and there was no real physical abuse.

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Replying to 5speedracer5: Hmm. Why can't he be a man second? And why do you equate "being a man" with "groping"? Getting real and growing up puts the onus on you to answer those questions.

Maybe what I meant wasn't clear in my posting. Human being make awful decisions and terrible mistakes regardless of occupation and profession. I wasn't equating 'being a man' with 'groping', far from it. But you are! The man given his position in society should know better than most, but to think police officers wouldn't do such a thing because they are police officiers is plain wrong.

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...I am sure this is just a big misunderstanding...the officer was just making sure she was not carrying a dangerous knife or some other type of weapon....he was just trying to protect the other passengers on the train... .......

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Karen Carpenter had some strong feelings about that and wrote a song about it. I seem to recall that it went something like this.... "And her thigh got touched"

I couldn't find that on Google. Are you sure that isn't a Stevie Nicks tune?

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Just take the guy's hand off your thigh. Is that too hard?

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... Drunk guy puts hand on your thigh, slap him hard enough that he will remember it. ...

Some girls I talked to in the past spoke of poking roving hands with needles, which seemed to work :)

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Thanks for clarifying that numbskull. You know, for some people, getting your thigh touched is a big deal. In fact, I know that Karen Carpenter had some strong feelings about that and wrote a song about it. I seem to recall that it went something like this....

"And her thigh got touched"

And her thigh got touched / The end of the world tonight / The cop well he copped a feel... from her... 'cuz he was in love /

You know what I mean /

Just two on the bus / And nobody else in sight / She needed some pep-per spray or karatechop.... to get in a fi---ght /

So listen very care-ful-ly / Get closer now and / I will really get mean / It isn't a dream /

The only sound that you will hear / Is when I scream it in your ear / No means NO! / and Never means NE-VER----! /

I think that was a million seller for the Carpenters. I am surprised nobody brought it up.

Fadamor. I am sure you are right. I don't really know how the pepper spray thing works. Is there a way to just give a little spritz?

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Half the posts here make it seem like the woman was raped or had a hand in her underwear! Hello? Her thigh got touched! The end!

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The problem with pepper spray in an enclosed space like a subway car is that you ALL get affected by it. If the car is crowded then you would start a panic - possibly causing people to be trampled to death as they try to get away from the effects. A school cop here used pepper spray on a student in the cafeteria and the ENTIRE cafeteria had to be cleared for a half hour before the effects abated.

Yes, the cop is a man and has desires just like "normal" people. But the difference between humans and the lesser animals is we have the ability to control our desires. By giving in to his, he has strayed from humanity and drifted towards the animals. Fire him and be done with it.

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yourock- "He is a man first, "

Hmm. Why can't he be a man second? And why do you equate "being a man" with "groping"? Getting real and growing up puts the onus on you to answer those questions.

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One perspective that deserves some thought is that children are truly taught that they can go to a police officer for help of any kind.

This behavior is not compatible with that kind of responsibility. Standards for school teachers seem to be much higher.

If police forces cannot maintain high standards, they should create a B team and assign them to.... uh... um... ticketing bicycles and doing crowd control or something.

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kyolicious. I like your style. Especially this...

"And those who say "men can't helllllp iiiiit" need to"

are you channeling STUART here? Very funny. 5 Ls and 5 Is shows that you have great key control.

By the way, yes, you are allowed to kick him in the pills, although going that far to make a point is unlikely to be necessary. Unload, though, if it feels good. Bamboohat says that pepper spray is ok. I read that and thought "cool." Personally, I think it is THE BEST solution. If it happens enough times that a salaryman totally gets thrown around, it will stop. The BEST way would be to take a keitai pic, ask the man to stop while you take it. Put the phone away, and go caveman.

Dont do it for fun. Dont do it to get even. Do it for all the women who have to deal with men who think that a skirt means sex.

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it's a disappointment for many to realise that police officiers are just (as preverted) like you and me. I thought police officers wouldn't do such things because they are police officers (like you don't know?). Come on people, the fact he's a police man has actually little bearing. He is a man first, and but the very nature of his job he should know better, but what does 'should know' mean? People need a reality check form Ma and Da. Police are people. They too commit criminal acts. Stop being amazed and so self-righteous. Wake up to the real world and not the 'should be' one Mom told you.

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They dont take it seriously, and that is partly why it does keep on happening, and why I didnt report my experience. Horrible enough to have it happen, let alone then being laughed off by the police.

kyolicious - you have put it into words perfectly exactly how it feels.

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Yeah, how could this guy be fined and released on the same day?! Aren't they going to indict him? Will he at least be fired? I don't think the police or judges really take this seriously, so it just keeps happening...

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I had a guy do this to me on the train when I was 19. He was pretending to be asleep--the manner in which he put his hand on my leg and his ability to remain totally upright indicated to me that he was absolutely awake. The train was almost empty. I was covered from neck to wrists to toes. I froze because I was shocked and my friend across the way from me just laughed at me. We were almost the only people in the car, since it had emptied out.

During that time, my train of thought was like, "What the hell is he doing? Is he awake? Does he think my leg is the seat? I don't think he's asleep. Should I move his hand? I don't want to touch him," and so on. Obviously my friend was no help and I was just shocked. So I waited until our stop and got off there.

All you who say you totally know what a woman in that situation would do need to try actually BEING a woman in that situation. Oh right, you can't, so get off your high horse and have a little sympathy instead of turning the victim into the perpetrator.

And those who say "men can't helllllp iiiiit" need to grow up and learn how to be a human being. Or does this mean I'm allowed to punch the next guy who stops me on the street in the face and kick them in the nuts? That's my natural instinct, as a female, so by your logic I should get to do that. I hope you will be there to explain to the police that I was just acting on my natural urges and the guy was totally asking for it by hitting on me. Thanks a bunch.

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smithinjapan at 12:56 PM JST - 18th November AGAIN?!? Just goes to prove that my suggested "J-cop Crime" section should be added to this site. There'd be more than enough chikan cops to fill the pages each day

dude.. 200% agree.. why there is no serious action about this jap cops attitude? i mean man.. this is so weird..

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Miyaratmosphere hey guys, can you imagine this country having an actual sex-offenders registry? Do you think I'm dreaming too much? Does it sound impossible?

Ha ha ha.... Yea... You'd have half the Kanagawa police on it....

I take it you're not from NY city or Detroit...? There are some women there that would give some of these JN "Girly-Men" a really ass whipping...

But you have to remember, Gaijin's are the really cause of all the problems in Japan, or so they say... And you can bet that 99.9999% of Japanese father's teach their kids from the age of 3, that all foreigners are evil....

Nihonjin = GOOD, Gaijin = BAD!!!

It would be funny, except it's true, they really teach this kind of stuff...

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Its Saitama, what do you expect.

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If women in my hometown dressed like a lot of women dress here they would be stopped every 10-20 minutes and asked "how much?". More than once I've thought that. "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, it must be... a streetwalker." That aside, this headline of the cop being busted for groping is recycled on JT about once a week. Sack his stupid ass, with no pension.

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First I'd like to say that 'several' minutes can be misinterpreted. I generally think 7 or 8 but the writer could have just meant 'a few', so more like 3. In which case, it was a very short period of time.

But how ever long it was, it was not this woman's fault at all. The drunken loser cop is completely to blame.

That being said, I think we all have to use a little common sense to protect ourselves in this crazy world. We lock our doors when we go out, we wear seatbelts when we drive, we tell our children not to talk to strangers, we may even carry mace in our purse...why? Because we know that there are people out there that could hurt us, mug us, steal from us, grope or molest us. So I don't think it's totally unreasonable to do whatever we can to try to prevent crimes from happening to us.

However, what the woman is wearing most likely has very little to do with being the victim of any kind of sexual assalt. Men who do this are opportunistic, and would probably grope any woman is near by and who seems like an easy target.

So, what can we do? Well, I think they should be teaching young girls, say in junior high school, what to do if this happens to them. Give them strategies, self-defense tactics, empower them so they are less likely to become victims of such a crime and so they do know what to do in these situations.

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Smithinjapan, I disagree with you when you say, "There's a very rapid increase in these incidents." However, I do believe there is a rapid increase in these cases. The difference is that now girls are taking more action. They are less afraid to act, and they are more likely to find action taken.

Many years ago I dragged a salaryman who tried to molest my wife to a koban. The police were useless and would take no action. They explained to me that he was drunk so it was excusable. I asked them if they found me driving my car not dangerously but after I had had only a few drinks, would that be all right. They could not see my point.

I understand why, in the past anyway, women did not go to the police and report such cases.

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numbskull: and my answer was based on your supposition that it must be a scary world to me.

But yeah, lets stop - this is getting kinda boring now anyway!

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kirakira25: Yep, it sure is, when I am pregnant and molested by a drunken guy on a train who is a lot bigger than I am even heavily pregnant.

Do we have to play this childish game? My comment was based on your declaration of fear of getting belted just for asking a guy to stop feeling one's thigh! It had nothing to do with your situation, which is totally different.

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Can we stop saying that there are loads of guys out there that cant control themselves and grope women if they are wearing something sexy?

no we can't because it is true. This guy was drunk so he wasn't aware of his surroundings, didn't care about his surroundings, or both. If the guy was sober perhaps he would have been a bit more discreet. Either way given the right circumstances he probably would have done this in any event. And it's news because the guy's a cop. Given how crowded the trains are in this country and the fact that they have Women only cars tells me that it does happen a lot and lot of it just goes unreported or it's just some baka salaryman who hasn't got an interesting life worth reporting.

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Can we stop saying that there are loads of guys out there that cant control themselves and grope women if they are wearing something sexy? PLEASE. Its patently not true - if it were true, then this story wouldnt be NEWS would it?

Looking at a girl - ok

touching - not ok

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If women in my hometown dressed like a lot of women dress here they would be stopped every 10-20 minutes and asked "how much?". Having said that nobody deserves to be touched or fondled in a way they don't want to. However while it is a woman's choice to wear what she wants, if she does wear some pretty revealing clothes she would be an absolute moron to think she would not expect any attention. And since there are a lot of guys out there who don't know how to control themselves and look at a woman's choice of clothing as a silent invitation to molest her, perhaps a little common sense in what you choose to wear might help instead of being all innocent and ignorant.

Nowhere in the article did it say she was wearing a short skirt or really sexy clothes. Perhaps she was wearing a business suit, which I for one find quite sexy. But whether she was or wasn't doesn't give this Keystone turd any right to touch her.

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Obviously, I know the difference between accidental touch and the real "thing" since I know the feeling of having someone's hand "feeling" my crotch from under a skirt(not a mini-skirt though!).

This thread is quite lurid....perhaps I should stick to the entertainment section.

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She should stop wearing short skirts

Oh man that is so 1992...

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they should give women those little baseballs full of fluorescent die to scob their attackers with.

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I dont think anyone says women deserve to get groped in any of the other posts. I think you are infering this because you want to argue about something. Ive read the other posts and people are saying that the victims are not blameless. which is quite different to saying it is their fault entirely. Think about it - if the first woman ever to get 'chikan'd' had just turned round and said 'what the hell are you doing?' do you think there would be the outbreak of this that there is now? The real criminal here is of course the chikan, and he must get punished, but come on - we all have to stand up for ourselves.

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Police should be forced to wear their uniforms all the time, or a badge all the time here, as there seems to be a lot of bad ones.

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@smithinjapan - VERY well said.

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Geewhiz! It must be one scary world to you!

Yep, it sure is, when I am pregnant and molested by a drunken guy on a train who is a lot bigger than I am even heavily pregnant.

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dbung: People ARE in fact saying that 'she got what they deserve'. And if they're not saying it outright on this post, they have in the other 3 or 4 cop-molesting cases that occurred in as many weeks. Errr... sorry, cops molesting women on trains or taking pictures up their skirts during 'anti-chikan' week... and of course stealing women's underwear from their homes or suitcases. Anyway, you get my point; there's a very rapid increase in these incidents occurring under EVERYONE's noses, and at every turn there are still a whole lot of people willing to shift the blame to the victim.

And while that is still the case, it is very hard for some to come forward or do anything aside from trying to 'gaman'. I don't respect that, and I'm glad to see it changing SLOWLY, but there are just some people who can't speak out for fear of reprisal, and the chances are far greater that a woman would be blamed in some fashion for what happened than the man prosecuted; that, or she'll be pressured into dropping the case at the police station (often via compensation money). This needs to be worked on concurrently with victims of sexual assault being encouraged to speak out. The two go hand in hand, so to speak.

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hey guys, can you imagine this country having an actual sex-offenders registry? Do you think I'm dreaming too much? Does it sound impossible?

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I really dont think anyone has said that this woman got what she deserved. Its quite a lazy criticism to say that. She didnt deserve anything to happen to her. But the world would be a better place if a) people didnt grope people and b) if they do, then the victims do something about it IF ABLE. and as far as i can tell from this story, she wasnt a child, pregnant, mute or disabled, so she could have done something. Again, I will reiterate. The guy, if he really did intentionaly grope her, is a scumbag

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So to sum up some of the arguments here, the woman in question got what she deserved, by dressing in a manner other than a bed-sheet that covered her from head to foot. Sorry to burst your collective bubble, but such arguments are rather old hat, being widely espoused by great world citizens such as Osama bin Laden. Boy, I wouldn't want to keep that sort of company.

@Kyushujoe - So you have my comments pinned down as a form of satire (a word with which I am somewhat unfamiliar). Sorry buddy, I am not that easily classified. My comments were for real. I fully believe in a zero tolerance policy with regard to those who break the law, any law, whether it be assault, or a lesser crime such as being in possession of an ugly spouse. I have an even poorer opinion of clowns who try to use drunkenness as an excuse. Let's just say this policeman is very lucky that yours truly is not the Minister of Justice here in Japan, because if I was, this chap and his family would be looking at a minimum of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, them being condemned both to a life of scavenging for moldy potatoes and sharing a privy with one Noriko Sakai, a noted drug addict.

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numbskull at 01:26 PM JST - 18th November

Obviously, I know the difference between accidental touch and the real "thing" since I know the feeling of having someone's hand "feeling" my crotch from under a skirt(not a mini-skirt though!).

Not everything is about you!

Not everything is about either!

Moderator: Readers, please focus your comments on the story, not at each other.

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Timorborder... I actually agree with you this time. Let him pay the price. I guess pot is another issue. Rich SmithinJapan. I agree with you too. J-Cop Crime would be a great section. Live by the Katano sword, die by the Katano sword. Not too PC though.

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I keep one hand on my wallet in my front right pocket on crowded trains. I keep the other on the strap or scratching my nose.

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He's in the FBI (female body inspector) Seriously though, something has to be done about the rising crime rate of Japanese Police Officers...

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Obviously, I know the difference between accidental touch and the real "thing" since I know the feeling of having someone's hand "feeling" my crotch from under a skirt(not a mini-skirt though!).

Not everything is about you!

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Miyaratmosphere You are telling the truth: OMFG!! Here we go "again" with these pervert KeyStones!!!

Is that all they can do?? Well they can very well when it comes to having selective amnesia, attending a crime seen after the crime, profiling "gaigins", and chatting with Yaks in the Kobans

This is what they do best....

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@JA cruise - its very umlikely that a chikan would ever 'get violent' with you. They are cowards, almost by definition.

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Miyaratmosphere - if you're naked on the train, you are asking for it! You have to be vigilant and assume not all men are going to be nice.

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AGAIN?!? Just goes to prove that my suggested "J-cop Crime" section should be added to this site. There'd be more than enough chikan cops to fill the pages each day.

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numbskull wrote:

Not really the point about the skirt. The point is that you are are going to be touched accidentally on crowded Japanese trains. Its a fact of life. If you are touched on bare skin its going to bother you a lot more and seem like intentional touching even if it isn't. And accidental touching could become intentional given such a warm temptation.

Obviously, I know the difference between accidental touch and the real "thing" since I know the feeling of having someone's hand "feeling" my crotch from under a skirt(not a mini-skirt though!). Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to give him a real good slap on the face as he stepped off the train right after I turned around, everything was just so fast. And yes, you can actually "freeze" as you don't expect something like that to happen..you know. I saw the guy from behind, and he didn't look anything like a drunk smelly salaryman, au contraire..he looked like an university student. The punk probably jizzed in his pants by touching a foreign female's private part. dammit!

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Things were quiet in Saitama for a while, glad to see everything is back to business as usual.

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Hello, hello, hello! What's all this then?

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@dbung10 - I have not yet pulled someone off the train and slugged them, but my instinct says I would. I would simply ask the girl if she needs help, and if she says yes, then i confront the man. If he doesn't stop what he's doing and gets violent with me, I am in my rights to restrain him and if it requires punching him, I would. And yes, I too have been in your situation where you break up a fight and I end up looking like the bully, but most of these situations are when the parties concerned were drunk. I have pinned several guys to the ground who were beating up what appeared to be their girlfriends and gave the girl a chance to run away. I guess you can call me Batman, I can stop myself from helping the weak.

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kirakira25, I know as little as you do. I just presented some possible options. I find it bizarre that when someone has so many defensive options present, people feel free to let them off the hook completely.

Complained to him? And run the risk of him belting her?

Say what? Do you always think strangers are going to belt you if you tell them their hand is touching your thigh? Geewhiz! It must be one scary world to you! Imagine if you asked for a courtesy seat. Somebody might pull a knife!

But is it so unbelievably unreasonable to expect to be able to sit on a train and not have a drunken guy over 30 years older than you come up to you and start groping you?

Its as reasonable as that is not remotely what happened here! He touched her thigh! Get over it!

I agree entirely that a small minority of women will take any opportunity to make money/cause trouble and accuse men of touching them without any foundation whatsoever.

Then we clearly agree on two things. This and the fact she could have just gotten up and walked away.

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@numskull. i kind of think we were on the same side, but I have to disagree with you here. a woman can wear just her underwear on the train with big neon arrows pointing to her crotch if she wants, it doesnt give any man (or woman) the right to touch her. Also, Im pretty sure 99.99999% of men have the self control not to act on our impulses. Yes we may all stare, and yes we may not be able to stand up without holding our briefcases in front of our trousers, but we aint animals. flawed yes, but most men do not take advantage of the fact that we are physically stronger than women and 90% of the time want to have sex. Thats what sets us apart from animals.

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I could be "naked" inside the train and NO ONE has the right to touch me, period.

Not really the point about the skirt. The point is that you are are going to be touched accidentally on crowded Japanese trains. Its a fact of life. If you are touched on bare skin its going to bother you a lot more and seem like intentional touching even if it isn't. And accidental touching could become intentional given such a warm temptation.

Also, it was not voiced as commentary about who has a right to touch whom. Its about playing with fire. Even if fire were a concious entity and we made laws saying that fire will go to jail if it burns you, you still should not play with fire. It will save you trouble not to, it will save us money, and its just plain courteous not to tempt the fire and to help it stay on the right of the law!

If somebody walks down the street saying to everyone they see "Hey punch me!" and somebody did, who is going to defend the guy who got hit? We will still jail the puncher. But nobody is going to praise the guy who got hit for exercising his right to free speech! They would call him a moron, unless of course, he enjoys getting punched and/or getting people jailed for it. In those cases he would be a freak.

Maybe I like to wear clothes with steel spikes on them. You know why I don't? Courtesy and a desire to not make others angry! Female skin affects men deeply. Its a woman's great power. And when she uses that power irresponsibly, it is annoying.

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@miyaratmosphere - i agree you ca wear what you want and noone has the right to touch you. If they do, they should be punished. I just want to be clear here. I dont BLAME the victim for anything. Im just saying that people should stand up for themselves more. At the end of the day, the guy touched her thigh. Nothing more nothing less.

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tarento at 10:59 AM JST - 18th November

She should stop wearing short skirts, or at least be selective about where she sits. I purposefully don't sit or even stand next to gals that are showing too much thigh because I don't want even the slightest accidental touch to warrant a claim. And if a girl on display sits next to me, I have to be extra careful to keep my hands where everyone can see them. Call it paranoia, but you just never know who's out to make a buck.

I could be "naked" inside the train and NO ONE has the right to touch me, period. So please stop the typical "blame the victim" here... Get over the "rape victims asked for it" mindset. It's really subhuman and disgusting. No one has the right to touch anybody. No one!

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@JA Cruise - really? The few times Ive ever gotten involved in situations like this, the girl immediately pretended like nothing was going on and then Im left standing there looking like im trying to intimidate some guy for no reason. have you really pulled a guy off a train and punched them for doing this? Are you writing this from jail? If you have, I commend you

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One other thing no one mentioned, if this guy was molesting her for several minutes, why didn't anyone nearby try and help? I have helped many damsels in distress over the years on the streets of Tokyo and all it takes is some firm words to the guy to stop and they usually do. I hate punks that think they can take advantage of a woman like this and believe me, if the dude doesn't stop, I will pull him off the train and slug him.

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She might have waited that long for many reasons. One of them would be that she was not sure and she might just wanted to avoid accusing an innocent man who really touched her by accident. Also, by saying she's a "japanese girl" is not considering J women weak and all, but still, she's still a young woman and he's still a old guy. Foreign girl like to show they're strong but it might happen that the man is stronger, and at that,drunk so who knows if he's not violent? Maybe the girl was scared and I understand she could be. At least she reported him, that's good.

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Im not blaming the victim here, and i believe that if the policeman really did intentionally molest this woman, even if it was 'just' hand on clothed thigh, he should be fired from his job as a policeman - he was breaking the law and as a policeman should be held to the highest standard of conduct.

But just because the victim is a victim, and the policeman is a bad guy, doesnt mean I dont think the victim has been just a little bit pathetic here if she just sat there and didnt do anything at all.

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Thank you flatearther et al - I am SICK of reading that it is somehow the victims fault, or that she probably wasn`t dressed appropriately, that she probably enjoyed it, or was asking for it.

I wasn`t asking for it when I was 9 months pregnant, wearing maternity clothes, sitting quietly on a train and a drunken guy decided I was "fair game". And yes, I froze. And no, I am WAY over 21 (unfortunately!). I was TERRIFIED the guy would hurt me or my baby. Thank god my friend I was sitting with grabbed my arm, pulled me to my feet and marched me to the other end of the carriage. Thank god the guy who was obviously drunk and aggressive decided against following us.

Before that happened I would absolutely have sat here and said "why didnt she...." - now I know different. If I hadnt been so pregnant, and felt a bit more able to defend myself, maybe it would have been a different story, but that was the first time in my life I can think of that I ahve known and understood what it feels like to feel totally helpless. I sincerely hope it will be the last time becasuse it was horrible. And it went against all my culture, upbringing and instinct to just freeze, but my first, last and only fear was for my baby and what this nutcase was potentially capable of doing.

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@timorborder

He should also be arraigned on assault charges. If found guilty by due process, he should receive a prison sentence in accordance with the law, also being registered as a sex offender for future reference.

Furthermore, the woman in question should sue this policeman through the civil courts, the aim being to bankrupt him and his direct family, forcing them on the streets. Any and all of his offspring, legitimate or otherwise, should also be made to shoulder the stigma of his actions for life.

You used to drive me mad with your insane overreactions to crimes, but now I get it: you're a comedian! You're being sarcastic! Thanks for the laughs.

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Yawn, not sure exactly what crime was committed here.

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Tokyo Vice: Whenever a cop wants to leak information they do it while drinking, it gives them cover and something to blame. "oh I was drunk... so I never said that, I don't remember"...

Seems like Japanese cop 101, get drunk get away with anything.

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We know nothing about the circumstances. Did his hand brush her thigh in a way that could have been accidental? Or did he grab and grope?

Lets look at her options:

Wearing slacks? How do you know she wasnt? Stood up and moved? Good idea, and with hindsight I am sure she is thinking the same thing. Women only car? Is there one, on that line? I dont think there is one on any line at 9pm at night. Complained to him? And run the risk of him belting her? Complained to another passenger? Yeah, right. How many people openly admit they look the other way and don`t want to get involved. Stabbed him with a hairpin? What century is this?

You dont need to mindread, and you dont need a kit. It really is incredibly simple - don`t grope complete strangers on a train.

We dont expect men to be perfect gentlemen. Hell, we certainly dont expect women to be perfect...er...gentlewomen(!) But is it so unbelievably unreasonable to expect to be able to sit on a train and not have a drunken guy over 30 years older than you come up to you and start groping you? Honestly??!

I agree entirely that a small minority of women will take any opportunity to make money/cause trouble and accuse men of touching them without any foundation whatsoever. They make me equally as sick as the men who are not innocent because they are as disrespectful to the genuine victims of this problem as the perpetrators themselves.

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OMG, too pathetic. By the logic of some of the posters on this site, I have the right to steal a drunk oyaji's wallet in a bar. After all, wasn't he asking for it by being drunk in public when he could have just been drunk at home? Slacks, skirts, who cares? Women have a right to wear what they want without being molested. If I go to a jewelry store and see something sparkly on display and want it, does that give me the right to touch it or take it home with me?

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It's hilarious that some people are criticising the victim here. She was felt up on the train by a policeman. She reported it and got him arrested. What more do you want from her????

Yeah true. She did nothing wrong!

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Zero tolerance regarding such incidents. The policeman in question should have been fired immediately after he admitted to this assault. He should also be arraigned on assault charges. If found guilty by due process, he should receive a prison sentence in accordance with the law, also being registered as a sex offender for future reference.

Furthermore, the woman in question should sue this policeman through the civil courts, the aim being to bankrupt him and his direct family, forcing them on the streets. Any and all of his offspring, legitimate or otherwise, should also be made to shoulder the stigma of his actions for life.

Anyway, such actions would only represent the first step in any proceedings against this "policeman." Indeed, the authorities might consider more drastic action.

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It should be crime to allow a man to touch your thigh for more than 20 seconds, then complain about it. Anything outside of that should be viewed as consensual if over 18 years of age.

but when you are faced with the reality of this situation you can and often do freeze - fact.

How is that the guy's fault? It might have been accidental or it might have been intentional. Either way, do we blame the guy for not being able to read minds?

Besides, there are so many options the woman has to avoid this. Wearing slacks might have helped considerably. She could have stood up, moved, or rode the women only car. She could have grabbed the man's hand and removed it. She could have complained to him or even to another passenger. She could have stabbed his hand with a hairpin and said "oops!". So how did freezing get to be an exuse for not doing any of the above? How is anybody supposed to know the difference between not caring, quietly enjoying, and frozen up outside of the person making some indication? Outside of mindreading, is there a kit we can buy for example?

We expect men to be perfect gentleman and pass by opportunities even where women may welcome us, and all because of the teensiest little bit of doubt. How come women get a free pass? Why should they be allowed to take no preventive measures, sit idly by like spiders in webs while things happen to them, then drag a man down afterwards? How is that fair?

He just touched her thigh. Its not like his hand was in her underwear! And she froze? Come on!

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Sorry, kira. my bad. But I still stand by my opinion on the whole short skirts thing. Men are beasts. If you don't want the attention, don't do anything to attract it.

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if the guy groped her he deserves to be punished, all im saying is she could easily just tell him where to go. All my female friends would have done that, when i was 21, all my female friends would have done that too.

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She should stop wearing short skirts, or at least be selective about where she sits

Can you point me to the bit where it says she was wearing a short skirt? Ditto the bit where it says she plonked herself down right next to him?

Given that it DOES actually say he was touching her thighs on the OUTSIDE of her clothes, dos this not suggest that maybe she WASN`T wearing a short skirt?

And even if she was, does this make it alright?

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dbung10 - obviously you are lucky enough to have never had it happen to you. Good for you, but I wasn`t referring in any way to the fact that she is Japanese. 21 is young, fact, this situation is incredibly scary for any girl but especially a young one, fact, and it is very easy to sit here comfortably at a PC and say "I would do..." or "she should have..." but when you are faced with the reality of this situation you can and often do freeze - fact.

So don`t sit in judgement on a girl you know nothing about, and instead try a little empathy.

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She should stop wearing short skirts, or at least be selective about where she sits. I purposefully don't sit or even stand next to gals that are showing too much thigh because I don't want even the slightest accidental touch to warrant a claim. And if a girl on display sits next to me, I have to be extra careful to keep my hands where everyone can see them. Call it paranoia, but you just never know who's out to make a buck.

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I was referring to the fact that for an officer of the law it is a little easier to intimidate people, much more so than your average oyaji or freeter. It's one of those tricks of the trade, especially for someone who's risen to the post of an assistant inspector. If you can't intimidate a criminal, you would be a failure at your job. Ergo, it would be a lot easier to intimidate a young woman on the train.

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It's hilarious that some people are criticising the victim here. She was felt up on the train by a policeman. She reported it and got him arrested. What more do you want from her????

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@flatearther

Another thing, the perp was a cop. It's scary enough to speak up against a normal guy, what about an officer of the law? Don't blame the victim here, I'd like to see you deal with it if you were in her shoes.

he had been at a drinking party. i doubt he was in uniform and i doubt even more he showed her his ID. She wouldnt have known he was a cop.

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for a period of several minutes

pepper spray to the face is all you need in a situation like this.

But good on her for reporting it.

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dbung10 at 10:10 AM JST - 18th November

ONLY 21?? thats an adult. She needs to get over herself or ride the train with mum and dad if she cant handle a situation like this. Ive had enough of people treating adult japanese women like they are children and they need protection from all the drunken salarymen and predatory gaijins. If the same thing happened to a 21 year old american you really think she would sit there, like a pure, delicate snowlflake, trembling and mute. NO you wouldnt, and if she didnt do / say anything you would probably see her as a weak person.

mmmkay, first time I hear such thing...I guess I was a "predator" when I decided to marry a Japanese guy...ahahahaha

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I can't just believe a woman doesnt do ANYTHING and stays still for such a prolongued span of time without reacting, and just letting people groping her and such.

I know, japan is great, isnt it!

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That hypothetical 21 year old American girl is just that. The real victim here was a 21 year old Japanese girl, on a Tokyo train. Another thing, the perp was a cop. It's scary enough to speak up against a normal guy, what about an officer of the law? Don't blame the victim here, I'd like to see you deal with it if you were in her shoes.

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I can't just believe a woman doesnt do ANYTHING and stays still for such a prolongued span of time without reacting, and just letting people groping her and such.

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ONLY 21?? thats an adult. She needs to get over herself or ride the train with mum and dad if she cant handle a situation like this. Ive had enough of people treating adult japanese women like they are children and they need protection from all the drunken salarymen and predatory gaijins. If the same thing happened to a 21 year old american you really think she would sit there, like a pure, delicate snowlflake, trembling and mute. NO you wouldnt, and if she didnt do / say anything you would probably see her as a weak person.

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This guy's almost as bad as Harvey Keitel in the Bad Lieutenant.

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So why the woman allowed him to do that for so long?

I would guess it was because she was scared. No matter how strong you might be it is pretty scary when stuff like this happens to you, and she was only 21.

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hate to be devil's advocate here, but maybe he was just sat next to her and his hands slumped to his side (after all, he was drunk). Often on crowded trains you are sitting 'thigh to thigh' with others.An aquaintance of mine was accused of doing the same thing. He said he knew nothing about it at all and it was only when the women was stepping off the train, when he had no way of answering back, she shouted at him.

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Here we go again...

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Or, perhaps the police said just admit it and we will let you go with a fine even though you really were too drunk and don't remember it. Drunk guy puts hand on your thigh, slap him hard enough that he will remember it. Issue settled without making a federal case of it.

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The real criminals are the Tobu Tojo line. If they had put up more security cameras, then the inspector could have gotten his jollies without actually having to touch people. (sarcasm)

"Who is watching the Watchmen?"

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Why has his name not been released?? He was fined. Fire him and shame him.

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Another who thought he was an untouchable going about his duty of touching the untouchable.

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LMAO @ Altria Ahahahaahahahahahaha

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Saitama's finest.

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is accused of touching the woman’s thighs on the outside of her clothes for a period of several minutes

So why the woman allowed him to do that for so long?

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OMFG!! Here we go "again" with these pervert KeyStones!!!

Is that all they can do??

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Such a shame that there is another story involving a Japanese police officer doing something really wrong. I wonder how they compare with police in other countries.

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I bet his name is Assistant Inspector Taro who is married to Michiko and they live in the middle of a rice field

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