Osaka commuters call it splits to guard gals from gropers

By Ryann Connell
September 14, 2004

"Oh, this is truly embarrassing. Osaka has become the laughing stock of the country yet again," a disgusted OL from Suita, a suburb of Osaka, moans to Shukan Jitsuwa (9/23).

Causing the young woman distress is the news of the introduction of full-time women's only carriages on train lines in Osaka, regarded as the commuter groping capital of a country where molestation on trains has reached plague proportions.

Most train lines in the Osaka area have had women's only carriages for at least the past two years.

But the restrictions have only applied during the morning and evening peak traffic periods, with men free to travel on the carriages after 9 a.m. But that's all going to change from November.

"Thanks to the introduction of women's only carriages, reported cases of groping on the Mitosuji Line last year plummeted to 78, down from the 144 instances the year before. The trouble is, the number of cases reported as having occurred after 9 a.m. hardly went down at all," a spokesman from the Osaka Municipal Government Transport Bureau tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "Many women asked us to extend the period the women's only carriages could be used, so we decided to go the whole hog."

Placing the women's only carriages in the middle of trains has been criticized by some who say the positioning lessens their effect as a measure against perverts.

"Station exits or transfer areas are almost always located at either end of the train, so passengers tend to crowd into these areas," a train writer tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "Even if there are women's only carriages in the middle of trains, everybody goes to where it's best to get off, so there's always somewhere for the molesters to go and the carriages hardly stop them."

Others suggest even more radical ideas to combat molesters than simply having some carriages ban male travelers all day.

"It's crowded enough normally, but it's even worse if you're stuck in a carriage next to one of the women's only ones," moans a frustrated salaryman. "Even if they only run one every half hour or hour, how about having a train that only lets women passengers ride?"

A self-professed veteran train molester sees little hope of transport authorities coming up with feasible ideas to eliminate groping.

"Women have recently been dressing more revealingly, so I can understand why guys are being drawn to them. But women also ride in carriages other than the women's only ones, so keeping women's only carriages all day will only increase the number of gropers in other cars," the confessed groper tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "It'll be a hell of a long time before they come up with an idea that will stop train molesting once and for all."

Copyright 1999-2004, Mainchi Daily.  All rights reserved.  Ryann Connell is a Staff Writer and Senoir Desk Editor for the Mainchi Daily News. No content may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission.  Please contact us via the link below for re-print and syndication policies.