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Groping on Tokyo Trains: Growing Groper Problem & Amazing Stats

by Gordon Clark | December 15, 2009 at 11:57 am

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Japanese railway gropers or "chikan" are still an increasing problem despite police attempts to decrease the occurrences of groping. In the past decade reports of men groping women on busy Japanese trains have been increasing despite increased arrests on the problem. The statistics are are shocking.
Here is a time line of groping related incidences:

1872

Japan opened its first railway in Tokyo

2001

Roughly 2,000 incidents of groping were reported to Tokyo Police
In a pole of private high school girls - 70% of them said they had been groped

2003

2058 cases of groping were reported

2005

2201 cases of groping were reported
A poll stated that 64% of females had been groped on Tokyo trains
Women only cars were introduced to provide grope-free travel
A man died because of groping. A 40 year old man was tackled to the ground by 4 other men when a 20 year-old girl accused him of groping. He died later in Hospital.

2007

An estimated 80,000 commuters were delayed when a man accused of groping a 15 year-old girl ran on to the tracks to flee

2009

Roughly 6,000 men are arrested every year for groping or taking unsolicited inappropriate pictures
A public pole stated that 80% of female train riders have been groped
Cameras are st to be installed in trains in an attempt to limit groping. They will be located on the overhead racks so they will likely miss most of the groping but will be able to identify faces.

Japanese women in their 20s and 30s said they had been groped on trains, subways or at stations in Tokyo.

More than half of the incidents took place during morning rush hour, when passengers are pressed tightly against each other, police said. Teenage girls accounted for a third of the victims.

Groping has long been a problem in Japanese trains

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Jeff F. (not verified)

at 17:55 on December 15th, 2009

"In a pole of private high school girls"Poll, not pole.

Hugh Askew

at 18:08 on December 15th, 2009

They need to get some undercover cops (babe-o-rific types) on the trains. Use a dye like banks use on money when they get robbed. A few busts, errr, arrests, the problem will likely disappear.