Opinion

Women-only cars are long overdue

By Joseph LaPenta

Recently I saw an item on TV about "women-only" cars on the Keio Line. The news report showed Cabinet Minister, Ms. Ogi, seated on the train and recommending it as a good idea. My reaction was: it's about time!

When I first came to Japan nearly 30 years ago, the English-language newspapers regularly carried letters from young foreign women who had been molested on the trains by chikan. Many said that their female Japanese friends had told them to suffer silently and not to protest. But foreign women insisted on their right to self-defense. Some were studying judo and karate, others carried weapons.

Chikan are still all too common, and I was curious about the English translation, so I decided to contact friends around the world via e-mail. I asked them two questions: 1) What do you call a man who touches a woman on a crowded train or bus? 2) Is it a problem in your area?

By general agreement, my friends in the San Francisco Bay area, New York, and London and Bath in England said that the word chikan should be translated as "groper." Some people, however, still use the older term "masher," or the more formal word "molester." The noun "groper" is related to the verb "to grope," which means "to reach around with one's hands." For example, you can say: "the lost children groped their way through the dark tunnel."

All of my friends abroad said that in their areas domestic violence and rape were much more common than groping. All such crimes against women are expressions of male arrogance and frustration. Some friends who had been to Japan thought there was a simple reason that gropers were more common here: trains are far more crowded. Therefore, "women-only" cars are one example of a positive change.

In addition, laws have changed to favor women, but the changes have caused new problems. If a woman accuses a man of groping her on a crowded train, the man has two choices. He can admit guilt, sign a confession and pay a fine of ¥50,000. But if he insists on his innocence, he will be formally arrested, held in prison for days, even weeks, and must hire a lawyer. He may also lose his job. Even if he is innocent, it is to his advantage to lie and say that he is guilty.

Each year in Japan, about 1,000 men are charged with groping. Last year in Tokyo alone, 20 men insisted that they were not guilty. A few have gone to court and have been found innocent. There have also been reports that some women have threatened innocent men. If the man does not pay them, they will report him to the police. Women-only cars are a partial solution to the problem of false accusation.

The idea of special cars on trains is not really a new one. In the summer, there are signs telling passengers which cars have weaker air-conditioning. This practice should be extended to other areas.

How about "no-noise" cars where there are no loud, repetitive or stupid announcements? How about "ad-free" cars where passengers do not have to look at advertisements for cancer-causing products like cigarettes, or read magazine headlines about the sleazy sex lives of vulgar TV personalities? Trains are public places that should serve the public rather than expose people to violence, noise and harmful or disgusting propaganda.

Shukan ST: May 25, 2001

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