On May 28, Twitter user @influencercom uploaded a video that shows a man in a suit fleeing from two high school girls shouting "don't run away!", racing across a train platform of Akabane Station in Tokyo. As he makes his way across the platform, a bystander suddenly sticks out his foot, causing him to trip and stumble, before the schoolgirls catch up to him on the platform escalator. A girl has come forward and said the man had touched her inappropriately on the train.
The next day, a panel on daily morning news program "Mezamashi TV" discussed the video and the incident, Nico Nico News reports. According to the panel, the man was apprehended by station staff following his stumble, and subsequently admitted to groping before being arrested on suspicion of committing an indecent act.
The high school boy who filmed the incident was also interviewed. "I simply felt like I had to film it," he said. "You can call it a sense of justice, it could be evidence." He also added that the high school girl who came forward said that the man had touched her breast, and that she had been experiencing similar harassment for a month, and after growing angry, decided to apprehend her assailant.
A large amount of discussion regarding the incident, however, has centered on the man who nonchalantly tripped the groper--namely whether or not his actions could be considered illegal. Yahoo Japan consulted with Ryuji Nishiguchi of the Kobe Marine Law Office. Nishiguchi noted that it would depend on whether the bystander was aware of a crime having been committed. A panel member on "Mezamashi TV" supposed that the bystander would likely not be prosecuted.
Read more stories from grape Japan.
-- Japan’s Top Five Virtual Humans
-- Hokkaido Farmers Push Back as Instagramming Tourists Destroy Scenery and Cause Loss of Historic Tree
-- Meet the Two Travelling Rescue Cats Exploring Every Prefecture of Japan with Their Owners
- External Link
- https://grapee.jp/en/
51 Comments
Login to comment
Nippori Nick
A foot in time !
jcapan
That is awesome--both the girls chasing down the deviant scumbag and the guy who trips him up. And it's great to see a runner in all his sukebe glory. Many of our commenters here seem to think they're innocents running for their lives.
David Varnes
Love the tripper's reaction. Just like "foot out, yup, he's down... back to waiting for my train."
Tokyo-Engr
@David - agreed. Nice job girls and nice job to the anonymous man.
Are you kidding me? The discussion should center on the perverted groper.
theFu
What is the fine for groping? ¥50.000 or more?
Nippori Nick
The man who stuck his foot out should be given a medal, not critiqued.
showchinmono
Brave girls. Well Done. 「痴漢です!」might be better than「逃げるな!」so that more people could notice it and help.
JJ Jetplane
"a sense of justice" would be actually giving a helping a hand and not standing by filming the incident.
But the fact that she has been similarly harassed for over a month is the bigger problem.
1glenn
That gave me a chuckle. Thank you.
Marsh Mallow
I hope you had a great trip, haha
Do the hustle
Interesting how the conversation was more about the person who tripped him than the indecent assault.
This groping happens far too after in Japan. These creeps seem to think it’s a victimless crime and they can get away with it. The fact that, I’m this case, the victim was a school girl should make this a child sex offense. The penalties are not severe enough for this kind indecent act. They need to lock these creeps up for a year or two in an attempt to curb future acts of child sex offenses.
KariHaruka
Well done to these girls for not putting up with this disgusting behavior.
Incidents like these the exact reason why my wife and I are teaching our daughters to defend themselves from gropers.
The safety of girls and women should be paramount!
Toasted Heretic
Nice to see the usual vitriol against female victims is absent for a change. Women of any age should not have to put up with male sexual violence, of any sort.
krustytheclown
Two minutes for tripping! Ha ha!
Kenji Fujimori
Hell be gropped in his prison cell
Kenji Fujimori
Good work that the girls chased him, to many weirdos here!
Wallace Fred
Would you smile in appreciation if a sturdy gentleman touched you inappropriately?
Kenji Fujimori
Another sign of predators chasing kids, this is why pedo hentaiesque imagery of school girls in anime and other media needs to stop.
As these man children and otaku get weird imagination from it, where else is it coming from, for them to target kids?
Tohka
macv
Good for the girls! I've been tripping since I was 12 finally get some recognition.
Anonymous
Extending one’s foot is now a crime? I think not, but he might have given the traveler a “gomennasai”.
Anonymous
@Joeintokyo
“Killed himself”? Suicide?
girl_in_tokyo
All I can say is, AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! :)
Good for you girls, and thanks to that man who helped.
RedMango
Well done girls. Also thanks for taking the video. Also great job the guy that tripped him up.
REPLY
tokyo-star
wait...so the girls have been continually groped by randoms for a month, or by this particular guy for a month? or this guy just happened to get a grope on this fateful day?
and about tripping and killing himself down the stairs - if he was running from the girls and that other guy hadn't tripped him, but he just tripped and fell down the stairs and died - would the girls then be charged for his death, even though they didn't actually cause him to trip physically?
DaDude
Yes it should be but the stupid laws against being a Good Samaritan should also be pointed. Because of things like this, people refrain from getting involved in incidences like this. That plus the fact that you have to spend hours or days assisting the police in the investigation. I liked how he tripped the guy then went about his day. The police tend to interrogate witnesses like suspects.
DaDude
My wife watched the video in slow motion on Youtube and noticed the groper wearing a wedding ring. His life is officially done.
quercetum
@Joeintokyo us absolutely correct.
The TV news reporting this incident interviewed lawyers who said had the man broken a bone or had been injured by the fall, the tripper would have been liable for the injury.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Anonymous
@Joeintokyo
”... but had fallen down the stairs and as a result died.”
How’s this, Joe?
Anonymous
As I said, he happened to put his leg out. Prove it was with any other intent than to stretch.
Brian Wheway
As for the accident of tripping up, "ooop,s sorry" as for ANY sort of prosecution is unforgivable, it happens here in the UK the police are more interested in charging the "helper" or "Good Samaritan" rather than the alleged criminal, the result is people are turning a blind eye to the situation as it become complicated and problematic so the criminal get away with said crime as there is no evidence.
Brian Wheway
IF, or when this guy is charge and prosecuted by the police, they should post a picture up of this perv in the local stations on a board on the platform so all of the locals can see who to look out for. this could deter others from groping other woman and children.
farhaan
No, I don't support this man's action who struck his foot which is very dangerous. Anything could have happened as a result, such as injury or death. No one has right to make someone fall or injure to stop one from running specially if one is not connected to the original story behind except the one who have authority to do so. It is illegal and should be prosecuted for any damages.
obladi
Where I come from a man would be too scared for his life to touch a minor sexually on a train. He got exactly what he deserved and I would say he was lucky he didn't get pounded worse. No sympathy for him.
nandakandamanda
Regardless of whether the law is appropriate, the act of tripping up is still assault under Japanese law. The debate is solely whether there are extenuating circumstances, and most of the lawyers consulted agreed that in this case there would be a lot of public sympathy for the guy who stuck out his foot. He would have heard the girls screaming out to 'Stop the guy!' as can be heard and seen in the video footage, so he has got a leg to stand on, legally speaking.
Personally speaking, though, I loved watching the perp go flying onto his face. Yessss.........
tokyo-star
was also surprised how quick the nutter got up, combini bag and phone in hand, to continue his escape! only says: GUILTY!
showchinmono
Is it just because you already have seen and confirmed that the victims, girls were brave enough to chase this pervert.? What if this was rape on the street or other assault cases you happened to pass by and witness and tried to stop it? Private arrest or Citizen's arrest are legal act and that should not accompany with too-much concerns over excessive acts. How many non-professional just a citizen could afford to consider after-results when he/she was desperate to help the victims.
theFu
There's a big difference in chasing a groper in a crowded location and chasing that person down a dark alley. The dark alley would be a bad idea, clearly.
1738Kwaaa!!
Am Just curious about this fact about the girl: "He also added that the high school girl who came forward said that the man had touched her breast, and that she had been experiencing similar harassment for a month, and after growing angry, decided to apprehend her assailant."
She had been experiencing similar harassment for a month? Has she been showing so much cleavage in those school uniforms? Is it the same guy who had been groping her? definitely there should be a reason because it is a curious chunk of information which needed to be explained a bit. Why only her being targeted by these perverts? I know Japanese high schools like dressing skimpy, and making changes to their uniforms behind their parents knowledge. Am not supporting this perverts actions, but am just curious about What's the story behind this story?
ADK99
It's very unlikely that there is a story behind the story. Ask any Japanese woman, at least those who grew up having to take crowded trains - being groped on the way to school is the rule, not the exception.
In an ideal world she would have screamed to the high heavens the first time it happened to her, but that takes a lot of bravery even for a grown woman. Good for her for getting together with friends and coming up with a solution.
Oh, and worth mentioning: regardless of how much cleavage a school girl (or anyone else) is showing, you don't get to just help yourself.
Brian Wheway
1738kwaaa, "Has she been showing so much cleavage in those school uniforms?" wether she has or has not, no man should be groping children or woman.
"Am not supporting this perverts actions, but am just curious about What's the story behind this story?" it quite simple the guy is a pervert and he thinks he can get his fun and get from groping children and thinking that it is acceptable or he can get way with it.
As for having short skirts or skimpy blouses, that what girls do, BUT its not a green light for any man to go around groping, touching, or taking unwanted pictures.
shogun36
That's because they are "good" at attacking people that they know they can handle. Younger, smaller, or weaker than they are. If they come face to face with some one of equal ability or size, they won't even make an attempt. They'll just turn the other way.
Serrano
I think the girls were going to catch up with him even without the tripper.