crime

Tokyo police nab 31 train gropers in Sept, including 15 repeat offenders

61 Comments

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department announced on Thursday that 31 men were arrested for groping or related acts aboard trains in Tokyo Prefecture during their campaign last month targeting such offenses.

More than 3,000 officers were assigned to patrolling platforms at more than 200 stations in Tokyo from Sept 14 to 18, coinciding with the beginning of the new school term.

Police announced 31 males from the ages of 16 to 67 were arrested. Of these, 25 were arrested for groping, 3 were arrested for indecent assault and another 3 were arrested for taking pictures up skirts. Fifteen of them had been arrested before for similar offenses.

Police said the victims ages ranged from 15 to 52, and were all women, except for one man dressed up as a woman.

© News reports

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61 Comments
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One man dressed as a woman. Wow.

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31 perverts over 4 days, and thats just the tip of the iceberg. Then you have a guy dressed as a woman thrown into the mix. Japan has got to be the fetish capital of the universe..

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Nice to see them accomplishing something. But considering that about 50% of them were repeat offenders... they need to meet out stronger punishments to those that have been caught before.

Best thing is to fine them a nice big chunk of money, if they can't pay send them to a slammer for a week or two or three. Make them think twice about it instead of "oop, I'm gonna get chewed out by the coppers ane then go home in shame so I can repeat it again tomorrow with no serious consequnces."

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Did the guy dressed as a woman get groped?

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Probably he's a bait?

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What was the real evidence that they were doing so? Is it only because someone pointing finger to those people? Perhaps the crime really happened but do they really catch the person who really commit the crime or only catch person who just happened next to the bad gay, it is hard to identified a person who did it in the full crowded train of salaryman, everyone almost look a like.

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Oops! If that "girl-guy" was groped I bet that was a shock for the perpetrator. Way to make sure THAT guy doesn`t repeat-offend!

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Maybe the guy dressed as a woman was groping himself and got caught doing it and was arrested.

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Yeah, they should mete out stiffer fines (no pun meant). But this "chikans" patrol campaign does look like a big PR push. And I agree, 50% prior offenders means the MOJ isn't doing enough.

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Yeah, they should mete out stiffer fines (no pun meant). But this "chikans" patrol campaign does look like a big PR push. And I agree, 50% prior offenders means the MOJ isn't doing enough.

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Japan is awsome

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"Fifteen of them had been arrested before for similar offenses."

Perhaps the practice of letting them simply 'get off' if they pay compensation money should be abolished and they get some actual prison time. And needless to say there should be ZERO 'suspended sentences'.

Glad there are catching people, and I hope this isn't a 'drive safety month' thing where they stop the practice after a month.

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Should print their names in the newspapers. let their friends and neighbors know what they are up to in their free time.

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Just another facade. It is pretty depressing when the cops and the criminals know each other on a first name basis.

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Public humiliation is a good idea. Although I believe that most arrests are communicated to the offenders work anyway. Unless these were unemployed losers. I still don't get what the kick is in groping or taking pictures up skirt.

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except for one man dressed up as a woman.

hahahaha. The groper got way more than they bargained for....maybe.

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Do they keep an eye for the Femal Gropers as well .......

I dunknow which which be higher ......if observed with the same law maintaining eye ................

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Really what's the fascination with taking upskirt photos?

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I have seen in Musashino line , some gropers, but why they did not get caught? As well some schools like them.

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SmithinJapan... I agree, these losers are getting off way too easily (pun not meant)

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I wonder if the guy dressed as a woman was riding a woman-only carriage. Maybe he was a chikan disguised as a woman and got groped? Oh, and Sakurasuki, what's this about a "bad gay"? I've seen a few bad transvestites on the train, but...

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lol, wahoo, they caught a few guys, who then have to pay this insignificant fine. The whole thing is a joke. If they don't get publicly shamed, and theres barely a fine, whats the point? Increase the penalties, include mandatory jail time, even if its just like 30 days, something serious. That would cut down on this, not these pathetic operations.

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Who said anything about 'female' gropers? I've been waiting for a grope to come my way from a female for years. The lonely hours on the Yamanote line, evening skipping the station to do another circuit in lame hope ... Seriously, a published rogues gallery would do a lot to alleviate this problem. A kind of; 'this weeks crime capers' with pictures if you will?

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except for one man dressed up as a woman.

Classic! I bet he was stoked to have someone touch him up. I can't understand why he would complain.

Is it just me or does this number seem alarmingly high? 31 in a month in Tokyo and these were only the ones reported and caught. It would not be too obscure to double that figure for actual offenses. Then, you could extend that figure to the other 47 prefectures and for a year. That would give a five figure number. What a great culture!
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I don't think that number is high when it happens on trians everywhere every day.

except for one man dressed up as a woman. LOL! Now that's the best deterrent!

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I'd much rather see news about how many parents were stopped for not restraining their kids while driving.

These cops stunts are useless...

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Disillusioned: You're right. 31 caught in 5 days is pretty high. As someone else mentioned, it seems more like a PR thing than any real attempt at stopping this. Perhaps a few have been detered but after the week was up, I'm sure many gropers just returned to business as usual. (as the 15 repeat offenders also suggests) By the way, what is the typical punishment/fine? Whatever it is now, it obviously needs to be harsher.

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Nice to read that no foreigners were nicked. Girls, Get a Gaijin Week is coming soon.

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Only 31?? Must have been asleep on the job.

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What a great culture!

To Disillusioned: There you go again, judging Japan based on reading the crime section. Get a grip!

Now, I do agree with what you were saying about how many more incidents there probably are in Japan, but I definitely don't agree with the numbers that you used simply because of the differences between prefectures in the number of trains, population density and, well, pervert density... Tokyo has got to be in the top 3 for all of these.

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Yes, great news for Japans reformation!!!

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I'd like to know how many of the nabbed were public officials and police officers. Great news to have with the Olympics. "Oh hi honey how was your day at the Olympics? Great mom, but I got groped by that cop on the way home again!"

Go Rio! Go!

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gropers doesn't only exist in train, I even see in Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ropponggi and even in office.

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gropers doesn't only exist in train, I even see in Shibuya, Shinjuku

haha so u want the police deployed in every nook and cranny

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Serious question: Are you allowed to grope your girlfriend on a train in Japan? Or would that constitute a "groping or related act" and warrant a fine like these sickos that were arrested? Just curious...

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@ Tahoochi - To Disillusioned: There you go again, judging Japan based on reading the crime section. Get a grip! Now, I do agree with what you were saying about how many more incidents there probably are in Japan, but I definitely don't agree with the numbers that you used simply because of the differences between prefectures in the number of trains, population density and, well, pervert density... Tokyo has got to be in the top 3 for all of these.

Me get a grip? You shouldn't take yourself so seriously, nor me, for that matter. I should change my user name to 'fisherman' cos I'm always guaranteed to get a bite from some fool.

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Great work police! Now let's get to the source of the problem.

Did anyone see the add for this week's Weekly Playboy? "We love school girls" addition. The centerfolds are aged 13 and 14 and JR is promoting this.

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burakumindes those kind of crimes need someone to accuse you, so you would not be arrested unless your girlfriend wanted to lock you up and said you were attacking her. In Jpns culture public displays of affection are not the norm and would very likely make the other train-riders very uncomfortable. Depending what you were doing and who they were they might make a complaint, but I doubt you would be arrested. There may be some public decency laws and depending on what ("how far") you were doing, I suppose a cop having a bad day could make up an excuse to arrest you. Which they can do anytime whether you grope your girlfriend or not.

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Disillusioned: Hey, all I'm saying is that if you're gonna criticize a country and its culture (and you do it often), do it with some premise, and not irresponsible, thoughtless little jabs of sarcasm for your own satisfaction or to impress others.

The article is about CATCHING GROPERS. Not about Japan's culture, so your comment: "What a great culture!" is just another cheap shot at a genuinely "Great Culture", and not a comment on the sick gropers being caught (or not being caught).

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funny they didnt catch any cops or train workers. 31 is a drop in the bucket... If Saitama police get crackin' half the population would be on suspended sentence.

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Ha! Ha! LOL!!!!and they thought because men have been the general discussion of the perpetrators of groping that women would be overlooked.

This is just too funny! Goes to show that there are just as many hot men as there are women if women resort to this type despicable behavior.

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SORRY Everyone!!!! I mis-read the article...they say victims not perpetrators. My mistake ladies...

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Except for one man dress up as a woman? Please tell me this was an undercover cop?

It's a good start nonetheless. Maybe the gropers will have to find other "hobbies." Let's hope those are victimless. Like gardening. Go grope a gnome.

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wow, this one man dressed as a woman must've been pretty hot to attract a groper.

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I've been "groped" by an unbelievable number of local women.

Too bad these people make it uncomfortable (paranoia?) for those who do not share their weirdness. I usually enter, ride and exit a car with my hands above my head.

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lunchmeat: "I've been "groped" by an unbelievable number of local women"

Har!

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This article proves that we have to fight gropers everyday. i will gie the names of all the perverts who try to assault me to the police.

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give

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LoveUSA - Try stomping on the feet of the gropers, or kickin' 'em in the crotch.

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Sarge, maybe I will join the sakura police.

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They gotta start cutting off fingers. It's the only way these retards will learn to keep their hands to themselves.

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I've been "groped" by an unbelievable number of local women.

lunchmeat, if one of the "women" groped on the train was, in fact, a man what makes you think that the women groping you were really women?

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I like that idea someone mentioned to take a nice photo of the repeat offender. Take their picture, then fine them to make some nice big posters of that photo to post around the stations stating, "My name is -------, I am a groper." Or at each station have a plastic screen with all these guys photos on the "Wall of groping offenders". The women can look and identify them on sight...

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Sure, as long as they've been convicted first.

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Maybe this country should start a "GROPE SESSION" and make it legal to grope on trains. Just hire consensual females for 2 cars to a train and place a sign to each car "GROPERS, MAN YOUR STATIONS". This sure sounds like a money making project for the cities, especially if the train fare is going to be much higher for the males.

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Moonbeam: Tooooo true! The chikans problem (at the bottom of the rather full barrel of sex crimes in Japan) is certainly influenced by the porn industry. Magazines and alluring soapland marquees will only go so far...Next comes upskirt photos and ass-grabbing. Pathetic.

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Got an all women`s carriage at an inappropriate time of day last week.It went pretty silent.Looked down the carriage and saw another gaijin.Suddenly we both clicked and both started laughing. Lots of women then started laughing too.It was a great moment. I love Japan

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dasyhard: there are commercial forms of that already. you can grope prostitutes dressed up as commuters (and go further) at certain role play shops in the red-light districts. whether this encourages or lowers groping incidents is arguable, but they do exist and japanese people can do it (for a price of course).

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The last line of this is priceless. Totally wasn't expecting that!

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jason6: thanks for the feedback. This is surprising to me that it already exists. Why do I get the feeling that I'm watching cartoons everytime I view the Crime section?

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