Tokyo police, train operators launch campaign against deviant behavior

Police are asking passengers to report any deviant behavior such as groping

Needs to start in Kindergarten and early elementary. Where (for some reason) it is totally acceptable to let kids poke fingers into another's buttocks ans say "kanchou"!

Aren't the police the very ones arrested half the time?

Considering the increased cases where police officers were involved and found guilty of groping, they maybe should spend more hours on inhouse training sessions.

I want man-only train cars.

It's a good thing there are stepping up the security for women, but it's pretty sad that they have to.

A few years ago I saw a guy get nailed by a young woman he groped on the train. I heard the commotion as I got off the train and wandered over to see what was going on. I arrived just in time to see this 45k woman launch a karate kick right into the goon's chest and she dropped him like a bag of spuds! Awesome!

@papigiulio

IF you see a link between kanchou and becoming a chikan you are just a silly as the people who say that violence happens because of videogames or movies.

The trouble with that line of reasoning is that it ignores the fact that its not a video game, but being done to and between real people in real time. You would basically be making the argument that encouraging kids to fight does not result in fighting later in life.

I don't have a problem with the kanchou game per se, however I do note that half the time its done, its done to someone without their permission ie, consent. In fact, its also often done to someone not even in the usual group of players. And that is a real educational problem there. If kids are going to play something so vulgar and so personal, they really need to be taught the difference between willing and unwilling participants. I have never seen a Japanese adult respond to this activity in such a thoughtful way, but as an elementary school teacher, I did on several occasions.

I would not go so far as to say the game teaches kids to become chikan. However, it does reinforce the desire to selfishly do things to others, which is a natural human desire that needs to be curbed through education. There is a time and a place, and its not appropriate to ram your fingers up the bum of someone you full well is paying no attention to you and does not want to play this game with you.

I feel sorry for the salary man that is innocent and gets blamed and has his life ruined.

The trains may be a good place for a Ferguson campaign aimed at men.

"Hands Up, Don't Get Blamed!"

The only campaign happening here is a campaign against women dressing in a manner that makes them targets for deviant behaviour. Not a single part of this article even suggests that the campaign is anything more than a "If you don't want to get raped don't wear a short skirt" style campaign.

If you want to launch a campaign against deviant behaviour then you should be educating and enlightening everybody not just giving advice (and super duper dandy pamphlets) to the potential victims. This style of campaign reinforces the mentality that 'chikan' is something that will happen if you dress in a specific way and can only be curbed by women being more vigilant.

I would not go so far as to say the game teaches kids to become chikan. However, it does reinforce the desire to selfishly do things to others, which is a natural human desire that needs to be curbed through education.

I think there is a link between children goosing each other and adult men groping women on the trains: titillation and in the more extreme cases, bullying. In both instances, it is about violating someone's personal space, whether they be consenting or not.

Goosing, brawling, violence (except within the rules of sport) and other "cheeky" behaviour should be strongly discouraged from school age onwards. Most of us grow out of this behaviour, but in an infantile culture like Japan, some men never grow out of it.

As they say, you are only young once, but you can be immature forever.

It is quite disheartening how many people support extreme violence against someone accused of touching someone even if the alleged touching was unwanted.

And I have to emphasize the words "accused" and "alleged". I don't think gropers operate face to face. So its hard to know who it was, in a crowded train, while you face the wall.

And I have seen some pretty incredible pictures of gropers in action, reaching a hand past one or two other people to get a feel. These guys are sneaky. I mean they are really, REALLY sneaky. If some other guy gets accused of their crime, well they won't feel honor bound to help him. In fact, for some, its a modus operandi.

@LivingMemory

And the problem is not men's desires, but the utter failure of society to teach men how to properly deal with their desires. ... What is required is more sexual freedom, for both men and women, and I mean consensual of course. ... Meanwhile, the cops are probably right now raiding another "massage parlor".

That's what's weird about this place. The fuzoku industry is HUGE. Can't these creeps get satisfied at a pink salon? Or just....GET A GIRLFRIEND?!

Socially well-adjusted, sexually satisfied men don't go around groping strangers.

@scotchegg

Really wanna stop it? Stop all this entertainment that has women as objects of fetishisation.

Yeah. Because groping and seeing women as objects of fetishization only began with the creation of the TV.

It is shocking to me the utter ignorance of human sexuality that gets displayed whenever a topic like this comes up.

And the problem is not men's desires, but the utter failure of society to teach men how to properly deal with their desires. And sadly, some people think what men should do is keep their hands to themselves at all times or just bite their lip in a sexless marriage. What is required is more sexual freedom, for both men and women, and I mean consensual of course. More outlets are needed so that the outlet does not become groping on trains or other reprehensible acts. Meanwhile, the cops are probably right now raiding another "massage parlor".

no,not half. the cops are no worse than the average population

Why they do not put cameras in trains is astounding to me. Makes me wonder if they care at all about the problem or don't want to spend the money (it would be a lot) to install a camera to make it harder to do, easier to get caught, and also very importantly, make sure that nobody is falsely accused.

A camera on a rush-hour train (where most of the problems seem to occur) will record nothing but a sea of heads. In order to actually have a chance to catch the deviant behavior you would need an array of cameras lining the car ceiling and pointing straight down. Of course, then the camera operators would get arrested for zooming in on shots looking down a woman's blouse. Cameras are nice, but the odds of a mounted camera actually catching a culprit in the act is very small.

I arrived just in time to see this 45k woman launch a karate kick right into the goon's chest and she dropped him like a bag of spuds! Awesome!

He's lucky she didn't karate kick right into his bag of spuds!

Japan is in great company. From Wikipedia:

Women-only passenger cars are ....... offered on some trains in Japan, India, Egypt, Iran, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates

Taiwan figured it out:

Like Japan, Taiwan had women-only cars in TRA's local servicein 2006. But because does not have the desired effect and gender discrimination, was abolished after 3 months.

Wheres the men only train cars?

@SuperFam

There is actually a somewhat active movement to introduce men-only train cars, mainly due to fears of false accusations and at least one case where it had been proven through video footage that a false accusation had been made.

The story about introducing men-only cars was big in 2009, but I haven't heard much about it since. For instance, Bloomberg did an article on it back in 2009, "Seibu Investors Want Men-Only Train Cars to Stop Grope Charges," available online.

What took them so long!!! The first week I arrived in Japan I experienced this part of Japanese culture when my girlfriend told me "almost everyday someone touched me on the train" as if it were normal. Total culture shock. That was in 1999. Since then what have authorities and train companies ever done for the poor h̶a̶r̶a̶s̶s̶e̶d̶ assaulted women of Tokyo!?

They could also ask male passengers to photograph any such behavior, for proof in court. Not that difficult, with today's cell phones, although with my full-size Nikon SLR, I might give away my anonymity. Nonetheless, I've seen it happen, and wish I had a cell phone to record the perverts.

Wheres the men only train cars?

Really wanna stop it? Stop all this entertainment that has women as objects of fetishisation.

"...to stamp out “chikan” (groping) and other deviant behavior..."

I always thought chikan was a noun that meant masher, molester, or pervert---not a verb.

I don't think the chikan problem is ever going to really improve until more people are taught to respect women as human beings with feelings and personalities, rather than just sex objects or pretty faces. This would take a huge societal change and would have to involve instilling this idea from childhood on. Some parents and teachers are good about encouraging this kind of idea, but sadly, I don't feel this is the case for most of Japan. ...still stuck in the '50s in terms of womens' rights and societal status.

Strangerland: About two years ago, during morning rush hour, I overheard a Japanese guy tell a woman to get into the woman's car because the rest of the train is men only.

Sounds like the campaign is soley targeted towards men and not an across the board campaign. They should have just written that.

The campaign began Monday with over 130 police and station personnel gathered at Shinjuku Station to distribute pamphlets and speak to women and young girls about how to ward off sexual predators, Fuji TV reported.

How does talking to the victims help "stamp out “chikan” (groping) and other deviant behavior on trains and in stations"? Typical Japanese "solution" to a problem. Don't address the real issue, because that would require really doing some soul-searching and admitting there is a significant problem with how many man there view women, especially after too many beers at their favorite izakaya No, better to just pass out some pamphlets to get some PR. (Does anyone know, did the pamphlets have a kawaii "spokes-character" on them?) Afterall, Japan is all about process and appearance over results anyway. Sad.

So what's "other deviant behavior"?

How many men groping other men that go unreported?

CCTV in train carriages. They have it on buses in my country, so why not put it in Japanese commuter trains?

I've always wondered if it's just better to run more trains? More trains means less crowding and less crowding means less opportunity to grope.

Jason: " Standing up next to a girl who is also standing on an empty train"

That happens always in reverse to me: Women are starting to stand near where I stand or sit and typically start to act interested.

Hope the chikan squad catch malefactors who molest rush-hour womanhood.

I have not really seen much these days but maybe im just not paying attention.

So what's "other deviant behavior"?

Oh, I hate it when drunk salarymen are sipping their Chu-hi and angrily muttering curse words. Bad day @ the office? We don't want to hear it. JR Saikyo Line is the WORST-

kanchou is just a game! It takes a lot of effort to master it!

For chikans, it takes a lifetime.

Hi.. I have not really seen much these days but Sounds like the campaign is soley targeted towards men and not an across the board campaign.

This pamphlet posted online today was apparently handed out at a train station "pervert prevention campaign."

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CGXoqs2UgAEPLVD.jpg

Rough translation: Be wary of perverts To avoid incidents involving perverts:

Avoid [using] railway cars that have stopped close to stairways and escalators which [are often] congested Avoid areas around [train] doors because such areas [are often] congested Remain aware of your surroundings and and maintain a sense of vigilance Avoid [using] window seats and other blind spots that tend to offer poor visibility Sit next to [other] female [passengers]

is it only men that touch woman? has there ever been a case where another woman has touched a woman? or men touching men? have these been reported?

Even if you had man only trains, you would get tramps coming in and getting paid. Whole situatiom is stupid.

And this is the whole reason why I keep my hands strictly on my phone or above my head to hold on to something so they are visible at all times. Of course I've seen these guys that do the sneaky groping and I think it's pretty obvious. Standing up next to a girl who is also standing on an empty train. I just stand close to him lol

A camera on a rush-hour train (where most of the problems seem to occur) will record nothing but a sea of heads. In order to actually have a chance to catch the deviant behavior you would need an array of cameras lining the car ceiling and pointing straight down. Of course, then the camera operators would get arrested for zooming in on shots looking down a woman's blouse. Cameras are nice, but the odds of a mounted camera actually catching a culprit in the act is very small.

They could act to deter the behaviour if the pervs thought they'd be spotted on camera... even if they wouldn't be. It's like a fake house alarm, a little light blinking away on it would convince your dimwitted burglar that the house was protected... likewise the presence of a camera/cameras in carriages may convince those with wandering hands that they are being watched.

They could act to deter the behaviour if the pervs thought they'd be spotted on camera... even if they wouldn't be. It's like a fake house alarm, a little light blinking away on it would convince your dimwitted burglar that the house was protected... likewise the presence of a camera/cameras in carriages may convince those with wandering hands that they are being watched.

Your thinking might have worked 10 or 20 years ago, but these days even "dimwitted burglars" know that cameras can't see through solid objects. During rush hour, a camera on the wall probably can't even see a person's EYES and vice-verse, never mind the shoulders and below. If the chikan can't see the camera because someone as tall or taller than him is standing in the way, then he KNOWS the camera can't see what he is doing either. It doesn't even take a high school degree for someone to figure this out.

During non-peak hours, when such a camera would actually have a chance to work, you won't find many chikans because they would be easily spotted by other passengers as well as the victim. About the only time a camera would come in useful is during non-peak hours when the chikan is too drunk to notice and it otherwise would have been a "he said, she said" thing. So they're not COMPLETELY useless but during the times when they're needed the most, they are all but useless.

The trains are too packed. Why not make the trains twice as long, and have them stop twice? With color-coded lights along the roofs indicating how packed the individual cars are?

Yes, let's educate women about possible male deviant behaviors...

Pukey2: "Taiwan figured it out:"

Exactly! The women only cars are not only NOT a solution, they are a detriment to solving the problem. They ENCOURAGE acts of molestation because ultimately, if they can't flat out find or pin it on the criminal they ask the woman, as they asked a friend of mine, "Why weren't you in a women-only car?", as though it was her fault. It says, "Women can ride in these 'safe' cars, or risk being molested" instead of actually trying to do something about the problem. And yes, although I don't care unless they put the train right in front of the stairway (as they sometimes do), women-only cars are discriminatory any way you slice it.

Society needs to look at the problem as a whole and first, address it by admitting it IS a serious, national problem. Second, they need to start cutting off the sources; kiddy-porn at convenience stores (sexualization of little girls), rape and other 'hate' pornography; better awareness education at schools and companies (including for CEOs and also police and teachers!), stop blaming women for what they wear, etc. I mean, how on earth do they think any campaign pushed by police will be a success when they commit half or more of the chikan incidents themselves?

@living memory

Yeah. Because groping and seeing women as objects of fetishization only began with the creation of the TV.

I didn't limit it to TV. What makes you say that?

We need more of such campaign and police rulings. Even men aren't safe, A friend of mine who works at a firm in Tokyo told me that he wes at a ATM cash point, suddenly a guy rushed behind him and placed his face on my friends back side, its lasted like 20 seconds. Just the thought of it freaks me out.

Eventually it is going to get to fingerprinting at train stations before entering and leaving like we do at airports.

In recent times we have been constantly monitored and photographed by CCTV cameras and other surveillance devices. Why they do not put cameras in trains is astounding to me. Makes me wonder if they care at all about the problem or don't want to spend the money (it would be a lot) to install a camera to make it harder to do, easier to get caught, and also very importantly, make sure that nobody is falsely accused. Until the major train lines actually do something pro active and based on intelligence how can the issue be resolved?

@scotchegg. Yeah, tell me about it. Let's not ignore that ALL trains feature adds with sexy women wearing next to nothing too. On a crowded train, all it takes are a couple drunk salarymen to give into the temptation.

Just add one more 'women only' compartment and save human resources.

it is totally acceptable to let kids poke fingers into another's buttocks ans say "kanchou"!

kanchou is just a game! It takes a lot of effort to master it! IF you see a link between kanchou and becoming a chikan you are just a silly as the people who say that violence happens because of videogames or movies.