crime

Two members of train groping gang grabbed on Saikyo line in Saitama

66 Comments

Police on Thursday arrested a 39-year-old Japan Post employee and a 53-year-old part-time office worker for allegedly groping a 22-year-old woman in a train car on the Saikyo Line around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The victim told police two other men groped her and fled before she could spot them.

Hiroyoshi Hoshino, who works in the legal department of Japan Post, and Yasuhiro Adachi, a part-time worker, were detained by the victim and other passengers after they allegedly groped her in the commuter train for 18 minutes between Akabane and Musashi-Urawa stations.

The victim told police that a man started groping her first and three other men suddenly surrounded her, even though the train was not overly crowded. The woman yelled out and grabbed one of the men, while some passengers helped detain the second man. The two other suspects fled.

Hoshino was quoted by police as saying, “Adachi started groping her first. I thought it was also OK for me to do so.”

Police said Hoshino admits to the allegation while Adachi denies it. Police believe they contacted each other on an Internet site about groping because the two suspects say they had never met before.

© Wire reports

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66 Comments
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I'd like to shake this woman's hand... and also the hands of those who detained the second person.

'Hoshino was quoted by police as saying, “Adachi started groping her first. I thought it was also OK for me to do so."'

What a loser!

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grouping gang? what are they gonna think of next?

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well done lady, but why wait 18 minutes to react !??!!?

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Dirty b*stards.

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“Adachi started groping her first. I thought it was also OK for me to do so.”

That's because Adachi is an old pervert and you are a young pervert. I love ther fact that Adachi is denying the allegations when the other guys has basically said he started it.

Got to tip my hat to the passengers who helped her out though. Too many stories are critical of people who stand around and do nothing so this was refreshing to see.

Japan Post employees - delivering love in their own special way

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well done lady, but why wait 18 minutes to react !??!!?

exactly what I was thinking... Maybe she was liking it until they put their hand in her...uh, oh mods.

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She's very lucky girl. She's lucky these perverts were not psychotic and didn't kill her. Another nail in the coffin of Japanese society!

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Whats the point of saying their jobs?? It has nothing to do with the cause and only creates dislike toward the company they are working for

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Haha, these guys thought it would work just like those fake pornos. Good work, lady.

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jbro: "Whats the point of saying their jobs??"

I think it serves to show people that these guys, aside from being deviants, are just your average schmoes and that you've got to be careful because it could be anyone, from your neighbour to your friendly postal employee. Unfortunately, if you don't say whom and what they are, people are going to jump to their own conclusions, from unemployed men that wear Chinese shoes to yakuza Western car importers.

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jbro888 - and because shaming a company is a big offence in Japan.

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This gives a whole different meaning to the phrase "Going postal on your a$$!" doesn't it?

S

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why would you want to shame a company? there is no correlation

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What a loser!

I am with Smithy

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jbro888 - there is in Japanese society. Bringing shame on your company can be seen to many as worse than bringing shame on your family. I believe that's one reason as to why it was mentioned.

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I just skimmed over the 18 mintues thing. That makes it more like a Japanese story. Cam imagine her after the first 10 minutes...

"Well, I'm gonna give it another 8 minutes but then I really am gonna have to do something".

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Modeditors,

detained by the victim and other passengers after they allegedly groped her in the commuter train for 18 minutes

As others have pointed out, this is a badly written sentence. It seems to imply our postal employee Hoshino and our elderly pervert Adachi groped the woman for 18 minutes. But it could also be that the two gropers were held for 18 minutes by the woman and others. Since, I assume, JT might employ an editor, perhaps he or she could confirm which is the truth - was she groped for 18 minutes or were the perverts held for 18 minutes?

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those men are really sick in their heads...LOL

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Maybe they left the decimal point out - between the one and the eight....

Or maybe she didn't feel safe yelling out between stations, where presumably she would have lesser opportunity to escape - and it took 18 minutes to arrive at Musashi Urawa station.

Either way - to be gang groped has got to feel terrible. She should be rightly proud of her courage and for setting an example that others might follow so these pervs stop, or get caught.

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It’s about time a woman yelled and actually did something rather than letting it happened and living with the experience for the remainder of life. Come on Japan, let this be the example and stop these pervs from preying on the innocent victims. Japan needs a huge make over; let’s start with the morals and standards, something to begin with. Japan has no order and structure many is immoral and disturbing. You did the right thing and for those that assisted in the cause stepped out of your box for a second and used your true emotions in helping this person from torture. I just hope I can witness something like this with my own eyes and help as well. Who knows, maybe you will read about me someday… Watch out my eyes is open. Hope yours is too.

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Groping gang? What next? And only in Saitama!!

OK, let's be civilized. Let's assume these guys are innocent (with a mind to recent cases of people being set up). However, at such time that these guys are found guilty (and it won't be hard given one of them has already admitted his guilt and he will probably roll over to help the POLIS make a case against the other), they should have all their earthly possessions seized, they should be fined into destitution, and locked away for a very long time. What about releasing their personal details into the public domain as well.

PS. I also hope both of these wack jobs are married - just another twist of the knife.

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Saitama girls have balls!

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2 words: nai su.

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overall, i think both the guys must have been doing this quite long time, but this time it really backfired... the girls or women who enjoyed groping from these guys in daily train should also be punished. Because definitely they created these social enemies. Also 18 minutes seems like a really long time, the girl could have moved to other place since it has been told that the train was not crowded.. or could have told them that she is just not enjoying this time but she prefers HipHop club....

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I have ridden on the psycho line many times. Isn't this the line that stops at Disneyland? No wonder there were so many pervs. Make a note not to bring my family to visit Disneyland on the train.

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I`m guessing 18 minutes is the time between the 2 stations.

ahh the good old chikan line! I used to have the displeasure of riding it from musashi urawa to osaki every morning on the commuter rapid express. It was HELL! Apparently the perfect kind of train cuz it was crowded and didn`t stop for a long stretch. Never saw any molesting, but at times I estimated 5 or 6 different people in contact with me...not a pleasurable feeling especially in the summer. AND most/all were men... Also heard Japanese call it "the MURDER line," probably because you feel like murdering someone after 20-40 minutes!

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jbro888- Apart from the "cultural" aspect of shaming a company there is also a strong legal one: all employment contacts in Japan contain a clause concerning behavior which may bring the company into disrepute. That means that if you are arrested for a social offense, such as groping, and your name and employer are released to the media, you can safely be fired regardless of whether or not you are actually convicted of that crime.

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works in the legal department of Japan Post

that might come in handy for him. nice to see some passengers did something other than stare at the floor or move cars for a change, keep it up.

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Why do Japanese women allow men to grope them for even more than 18 seconds?!?!? I can't imagine having the mentality of just suffer and endure.

More like the "sai-aku" line.

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"I have ridden on the psycho line many times."

Har!

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i want to know how the woman was able to keep the man from running away. does she have an iron grip? is the man incredibly weak? i'm not saying all women are weak--a man can break free of the grip of another man if they're about the same size. damn, i wish these articles would give us more information.

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Naah, the Saikyo line doesn't go to Disneyland - it's a direct artery transporting the unwashed masses from their boxes in Saitama to Tokyo every morning.

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A lot of people, especially women, tend to freeze up when confronted with sudden situations like this. It was not just one guy, but four. That can be scary, especially to a woman. Glad she finally mustered the courage to grab one. There should be courses to train women to react to sudden situations by calling for help when people are around.

But if this really went on for 18 minutes and the car was not that crowded as it says in the article, the passengers must have really had their heads where the sun don't shine. I always at least have a glance if a man seems a little to close to a woman on the train. Four guys and I would be having a chat with them. An unpleasant chat.

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I would be having a chat with them.

And for anyone - man or woman who might be too intimidated by a gang of four - a cell phone with camera could at least provide the needed evidence.

But at 9:30 - most were probably in their newspapers, cells, magazines, or asleep.

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“Adachi started groping her first. I thought it was also OK for me to do so.”

Are you kidding me dude!!! That's about a lame as you can get, it would be better if you claimed to be drunk.

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I hope they caught all the "Gang" members

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Catchy headline...groper was grabbed..lol. Was she actually groped for 18 minutes? Who was keeping the clock on this thing? Good to see some of the Japanese bystanders are getting involved these days. Had it been my daughter, the police would be the least of their worries!

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Wow, almost unbelievable, but, then again, this is Japan -- a country where a lawyer thinks its a defense to say that he thought it was OK to sexually assault a woman because someone else was, and, where he can become part of a "groping gang" on the internet, since there are sites devoted to these pervs. By the way, what kind of "colors" do you think this gang wears?

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She can't have been groped for 18 minutes. Even the Chikans would have got bored. Must have been the time between stops including holding the men down.

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Groping gang grabbed - grabbing the gropers. Nice work. This is galliteration, BTW :-)

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Ah the good old "Sai-tei" line. Still the number 1 groping line I see. Looking back I don't know how I put up with that hell ride for 4 years... I remember a few incidents where as the train would be pulling away from the station after an unusually long wait, You'd then see a station attendant and good citizen on the platform holding a pervert by the arms while a girl behind is bawling her eyes out. Once it was a 20 Year old in a full kimono celebrating "coming of age" - yeah welcome to adulthood. That was sad.

Multitasker - never heard about it being called "Murder line" but it makes good sense. I did loose it once and shoved a guy for repeatedly using my back as a newspaper stand. I'm not a violent guy and it took a while holding it in and trying to be patient...the guy beside me had warned him too as he was getting his fair share or newspaper to the back of the head. I think the woman in this case probably felt the same...though I don't know how you could be patient with guys touching you. Patients and fear I guess.

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Citizens of Japan arte doing the police work. I wish they were all like that. This is a proof if people act law in order could be coming soon. One admits one denier. Lock them both up quick and chase the other two. Not all ‘Dominos’ had fallen so far.

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Four men surround a woman and start touching her and they call it "groping"? That is sexual assault. Why can't JT articles call it like it is? Someone is killed by others and it's a "training" session. A child is raped and it's "molestation." Someone dies from being repeatedly kicked and it's "bashing". Calling it groping changes the way the act is viewed - a lot of posters treat it's like something trivial, jokey. How did it look to the woman as this happened to her, on a train, in front of other passengers? Being as this is Japan, being dragged to a toilet and raped there is a possibility, this has happened before. This was possibley a seriously traumatising ordeal for her. All power to her for her bravery, it will help her to get over it. And great to know that some passengers are actually helping strangers.

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There should be courses to train women to react to sudden situations by calling for help when people are around.

Its called parenting.

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Its called parenting.

Then a lot of women all over the world would seem to have no parents.

I think this is a special skill beyond the average parent to teach. It goes against people's natural reactions, and here, it even goes against the culture what with everyone constantly holding their tongue about simply everything.

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Sounds like, in military terms, a pincher movement... sorry, I could not resist.

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tokyo,

This ain't no pincer movement. It was just a blatant grab and grope by some retarded derelicts. Now they get to grab and grope for the soap. slippery business that chikan rap. nothing organized about it. just retardedness.

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It's not groping, it's sexual assault.

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as_the_crow_flies & Luddite - good points you raise. I assume they only call it groping as it sounds less serious and wouldn't affect the wa as much as saying sexual assault.

romulus3 - So they didn't arrange to do it there on the internet? That surely would make it organized as it was pre-meditated. Maybe the victim wasn't, but it sounds like the actions were.

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Groping has become a team game in Japan? Wonder if these guys have designed a team uniform yet.

This poor gal must release some pretty powerful pheremones.

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It's not groping, it's sexual assault.

Groping is a form of sexual assault. The article is just being clear by calling a horse a horse instead of calling a horse the more general term mammal. There is nothing wrong with clarity. If they said sexual assault many here would imagine it was rape and that would really throw a wrench into the discussion.

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Hoshino was quoted by police as saying, “Adachi started groping her >first. I thought it was also OK for me to do so.”

I cannot believe an adult would say this. IT IS NEVER OK TO GROPE SOMEONE ON A TRAIN...Japan needs to do some educational commercials to address suicide, depression, human sexuality and human relations...

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WOMAN, FIGHT BACK

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One admits one denier. Lock them both up quick and chase the other two

Don`t worry, they will do. After all this is japan 99.8% guilty

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I cannot believe an adult would say this. IT IS NEVER OK TO GROPE SOMEONE ON A TRAIN...Japan needs to do some educational commercials to address suicide, depression, human sexuality and human relations...

I believe he was asked to say. I agree, it`s not OK to grab someone, but it is shame in this country to talk about such things, first of all at school. Just がまんしてください must be taken, but it will explode, sooner or later.

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Use those high heels ladies!

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WOMAN, FIGHT BACK

She did. That's why they have two of these ass-hats in custody.

Kudos to her. I hope other women take her courage to heart and follow her example in not allowing one to remain a silent victim. Perhaps someday, we can even be rid of these defeatist "Women Only" trains that serve to enable the twisted a-holes who go to these websites and plot their sexual assaults. I'd love to catch one of these bastards myself.

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Saitama

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It has nothing to do with her and everything to do with Japanese mentality. These sick individuals need to be arrested and labeled "SEX OFFENDERS". Make them wear a sign that says; "I GROPE WOMEN." Then the police need to take them back behind the police station and beat the ever living hell out of them!! Nothing says you care nor gets your attention like a good old fashion ASS Whooping!!!!

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It's a shame people don't try help groping victims like this more often! Happened to me in Nagoya, Osaka and Himeji during my daily commutes. Usually just ends in tears and the other passengers staring at you as if you are the bad person... wouldn't wish this upon anybody! It's not like a quick pinch... it's being felt up. This scared me from using trains for a while... last time it happened, ended up with the culprit begging the police to keep me away from him.

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I hope she kicked them both in the nuts before they were taken away. Chikan disgust me

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Original article:

調べによると3日午後9時25分ごろ、赤羽−武蔵浦和駅間を走行中の新宿発川越行き通勤快速電車の先頭車両で、ドア付近にいた無職女性(22)に接近。約20分間にわたり星野容疑者は胸付近、安達容疑者は尻付近を触った疑い。

They touched her over a period of 20 minutes.

Moderator: Please do not post Japanese text here.

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On my first trip ever down to Osaka, I will never forget this one woman who actually confronted the dude who felt her up on the train. She followed him as he was trying to quickly leave, and says, "OMAE, ATASI WO SAWATANNYARO?", Hey, you just felt me up, din't you? She tured the guy around, and slapped the cigarret out of his mouth and then she began to slap the holy crap out of this guy in front of everybody as she was yelling "BAKA" you stupid idiot to the pervert. Good people down in Osaka know how to handle these sexually deranged perverts better than Tokyo nor Saitama.

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Classic, Elbud. Nice to see a j-woman get in touch with her inner obasan.

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I would be happy to help subdue one of these clowns. That crap better never happen in the same railcar as me. I may accidentally subdue him too hard and break a rib with my knee on his back.

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jbro888, because it publicly shames them and offers a little more punishment to would be followers. And you know Japan has some followers who don't think for themselves. Just like Hoshino in this case. Frigging dummies can't think for themselves... always gotta follow other people's examples.

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