Train companies close doors on men's only carriages, giving free pass to groping scam

Tyrael · #1 8th-November-2008

Quote:

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.

Marx · #2 8th-November-2008

Incredible...

Quote:

"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)

I wonder if they'll use the same logic when a women's group makes demands if/when a woman is raped... "Oh well, just protect yourself... don't wear short skirts..." I think we all know the answer to that one.

Stan · #3 8th-November-2008

Will the Japanese women's groups now insist that the women-only train cars arrive five minutes before the other cars on the same train?

yohan · #4 8th-November-2008

This link does not work, far away from reality, and as far as I know, these 'reports' written by foreigners for the English Edition of this and some other newspapers were discontinued, as much of that what was written there turned out as untrue.

What is written in this article is rather strange, as no Japanese man needs to be afraid to be accused, Japanese justice is totally lenient and fines are minimal, and also difficult to execute.

About women-only cars, they are few, only during rush hours, and only on some very crowded lines.

**Rothzael** · #5 9th-November-2008

This just proves how bad false claims are. They're horrible for the accused and they lessen the credibility of real victims. The more this happens, the less likely we are to believe the next report; and the more frightened we men become to even go outside.

AKUUS · #6 9th-November-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rothzael

This just proves how bad false claims are. They're horrible for the accused and they lessen the credibility of real victims. The more this happens, the less likely we are to believe the next report; and the more frightened we men become to even go outside.

The "real victims" are the men who are falsely accused, not imaginary women who will hypothetically get fondled.

Stan · #7 10th-November-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKUUS

The "real victims" are the men who are falsely accused, not imaginary women who will hypothetically get fondled.

So ONLY women can get inappropriately groped by ONLY men?

That is...if a female in a female car gets grope then this is just fine.

And if a guy gets groped by a male or a female then this is just fine too?

**CaptDMO** · #8 10th-November-2008

Simple answer.
Just announce "This car for men only", place a sign on the side.
Why wait for "the railroad" to do it?
Any women can simply be directed to another car, and forcibly blocked from entry.

Any problems? Force the doors from closing, hang a briefcase from the emergency sdtop cord, activate the fire alarms, and stop the train.

Sure it'll suck for a few days, until "the railroad" is forced to accede in order to move the labor force.

Posters explaining the situation before hand will ease, but not entirely eliminate, any further mis-understandings with fellow commuters.

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Train companies close doors on men's only carriages, giving free pass to groping scam

Train companies close doors on men's only carriages, giving free pass to groping scam

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