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Japan to Run Anti-Groper Trains for Women
A Japanese railway company will run special female-only carriages on its trains over this year"s holiday season in an effort to protect women from drunken gropers.
A spokesman for Keio Electric Railway Co, which operates trains from central Tokyo to the city"s crowded western suburbs, said on Tuesday the company had decided to place a women-only carriage on several late-night trains starting later this week. "There have been problems with women being groped on the trains, and we felt this was a problem that should be dealt with," the spokesman said.
Groping is a serious problem for female passengers on Tokyo"s packed subways and commuter trains. The Keio spokesman said the company had received 351 complaints about groping in the fiscal year that ended March 31, but the real figures are likely much higher as the vast majority of cases go unreported.
December is a month filled with "Forget-the-Year" parties, the Japanese equivalent of Christmas parties, and late-night trains are crammed with drunk and boisterous male passengers, increasing the potential for trouble.
"Given that the holiday season is especially crowded, we thought it would be a good time to test the idea of separate carriages," the spokesman said. Should the response to the service be positive, the company may look into extending it, he added.
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