Train companies close doors on men's only carriages, giving free pass to groping scams
Despite growing numbers of men are calling for male-only train carriages to avoid being falsely accused of groping female commuters, the railroad companies are simply waiting for the problem to go away, according to Weekly Playboy (4/21).
Recent disclosure of a spate of incidents where innocent men were accused of molesting female passengers has turned the national spotlight back toward commuter groping, a problem so bad most railroad companies have set up women's only carriages during peak travel times in the mornings and late at night.
The recent arrest of an Osaka couple for trying to set up a middle-aged man by falsely accusing him of fondling a woman train traveler has large numbers of salarymen shaking in their boots at the thought of being blackmailed by crafty commuters looking for a quick buck. This has heightened calls on railroad companies to set up sanctuaries where men can travel in peace, safe in the knowledge that they won't be accused of molestation.
Most railroad companies say they consider the issue a serious one.
"It's true we've received over 20 formal requests for the establishment of men's only carriages since the false accusation arrest (early last month). But actually, we've been receiving requests for theses carriages for a long time now. It's not something that has started recently," a spokesman for the Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau, which runs the city's subway network, tells Weekly Playboy.
But the outlook for men's only carriages seems dim.
"We get a lot of requests for them and take note of these, but we have no plans regarding carriages exclusively for men at this time," a spokesman for the East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) says.
Keio Electric Railway Co., which back in 2000 became Japan's first railroad to introduce women's only carriages, also has no current arrangements in place to correct the gender imbalance on its routes.
"We're aware that there are these demands, but we have no concrete plans for men's only carriages at this stage," a company spokesman says.
Train experts say railroad companies are quite content to sit back and let men travel in fear of being falsely accused of groping.
"I'd say there'll be an increase in women's only carriages before any men's only carriages are created. Railroad companies would rather get commuters to stagger their traveling times to avoid peak hours. I'd say it would be fairly difficult to get men's only carriages to materialize," Atsushi Umehara, one of Japan's foremost railway journalists, tells Weekly Playboy. "Railroad companies also realize Japan's population is declining, and they see that as offering their greatest relief in dealing with over-crowded trains. Baby boomers are already retiring, and the low birthrate means there is nobody popping up to replace them. That means there are going to be fewer people traveling during peak periods. That's why these companies have no intention of setting up carriages just for male commuters."
Masaki Ikegami, author of "Chikan Enzai Saiban Otoko ni Banzai Tsukin Saseruki ka (Groping False Accusation Trials - You Gonna Make Men Commute Doing Banzai Cheers All the Way to Work?)," a book about false molestation claims, says the only way men can feel secure commuting is to look after themselves.
"It's a sad situation that men have to do a banzai cheer (raise both arms skyward) while commuting (to avoid touching anyone else). Male commuters have got to look after themselves by taking such steps as avoiding standing close to carriage doors, staying well away from female commuters and never being directly behind a woman riding a train," Ikegami tells Weekly Playboy. "There are loads of people out there who have been falsely accused of groping female train travelers. I have repeatedly called on train companies to set up carriages just for men so that we can offer relief to all those with worries." (By Ryann Connell)
Source: Mainichi Daily News