DANIELA GUEVARA WRITES—Despite the country’s low crime rate, there has been a significant increase of 27% in sexual assault in Japan, specifically on public transportation. Women in crowded trains (and other public places) often face sexual harassment in the form of groping during their commutes. In fact, Japanese research shows that more than 75% of all Japanese women have been groped. And yet, less than 10% actually report these crimes. Why? Because they fear not being believed. According to the Tokyo Police Department, 1750 cases of groping or molestation were reported in 2017, with more than 50% on trains and 20% in train stations.
Accordingly, in the past few weeks a stationery company based in Japan launched an “anti-groping” device that sold out within its first hour. Shachihata, the company which created the device, tried it out in May after footage of two teenage girls chasing down an alleged groper in a train station in Tokyo went viral on several social media platforms.
This new device, which retails at 2,500 yen ($24), consists of a stamp attached to a retractable cord that, yes, actually stamps attackers with an invisible ink; the ink can be detected by a black light also built into the gadget. In this way, victims can mark attackers to show police who can then identify them by using UV light. In a series of tweets, the Shachihata company described the stamp as a “small step” in the right direction and pledged to fight sexual harassment. Other measures have been taken to fight this growing problem. A smartphone app was developed by Japanese police earlier this year, which allows women to scare off attackers by audio buttons that produce shouts such as “Please stop!” and “Don’t touch me.” It can also transmit written messages that appear on phone screens, such as: “There is a groper here. Help!” so that other passengers will be alerted. Since its invention, the app has been downloaded about 250,000 times. It also equips users with a map of crime-prone areas as well as near-by police stations.
Yes, the violent crime rate in Japan has dropped significantly, but with sexual harassment and assault on the rise, the country—especially, women—will remain on high alert.
Very sad. In the West, threats against women who are somehow involved in different levels of criticism of what is happening do not cease; stories where women appear turn into a marathon of insults against them. In a situation where they are trying to open a dialogue on equality and an adequate attitude towards women within the gaming industry, everything stalls almost instantly, bumping into a flurry of comments from that part of the audience that agrees to just plug up their ears and do “la-la-la-la”, but for sure do not listen and think. And did you know that, a quote from Wikipedia: “Sexism may have been the impetus that fueled the witch trials between the 15th and 18th centuries. In early modern Europe, and in the European colonies in North America, claims were made that witches were a threat to Christendom. The misogyny of that period played a role in the persecution of these women”, source -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexism. Good luck!
There are two main reasons why this has continued.
¹government and the legal authority don’t take such cases serious in Asia and here in Africa.
². Some of the women labelled victims actually enjoy it let’s be realistic
I’m shocked at the normalized degeneracy in Japanese society. Just heard about this on BBC…they even have clubs set up like train stations where men pay to grope women. I think it is sick.