Be Aware of CHIKAN in Japan! | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

Be Aware of CHIKAN in Japan!

By Guidable Writers Oct 12, 2017

This post is also available in: Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional)

Chikan crime is a big issue in Japan; there are many women (and occasionally men too) who have suffered from it. The crime is often committed in public transportations; it is prone to occur, especially during morning and evening rush hours on the train.

What are Chikan?

chikan, chikan in japan

‘Chikan’ is the Japanese term for molestation and molesters who sexually harass women (or men or both) in public places by touching the victim’s body or showing their private parts against the victim’s will other sexual assaults.

In Japan, it often happens in the busy trains in rush hour or sometimes in bicycle lots, quiet parks and paths etc., commonly in the evening or at night. In this article, I’m going to write about chikan on the train.

Sexual Harassment by Chikan Molesters in the Train

chikan, train

Trains and the stations in big cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Kobe are well known for being over-crowded in rush hour, Chikan molestation is mostly committed on trains in these cities. For example, the Saikyo line in Saitama is famous for the highest chikan molestation crime rate in Japan.

According to the train companies’ survey, trains in rush hour in Tokyo are filled to 150% of their maximum capacity, and in Osaka and Kobe, 120-130%. The train cars are packed with absolutely full of people. Commuters push each other to squeeze into the train compartment, station staff with iconic white gloves at the platform push passengers into the car to help close the doors of the car too. As passengers have no room to move around at all, such a crowded environment is the perfect opportunity for chikan molesters to grope their targets! But how they do it?

According to the Osaka police website, one of the most important things for chikan molester to succeed is their positioning in the train. They know the best position on the train.

Firstly, one of the best places to carry out chikan molestation is to find a target who is standing at the corner nearest the entrance doors because, in that spot, the target can’t easily escape to their right, left or back, so fundamentally they are completely trapped. And the extra bonus point of this corner is that the victim is hidden from other passengers, so no-one can see the chikan molester’s acts. So, that is the best place for molesting. The middle part of the car ends is also a good spot for chikan molesters for the same reason.

Osaka police suggest on their website that the safest place to avoid chikan is standing in front of the passenger seats. People can see if the chikan molester is attempting to grope. So, if you don’t want to be harassed by chikan molesters in the busy train, this might be the best spot to stand in.

What Might Chikan Molesters Do to You Then?

chikan, train

Here is a list of common ‘chikan’ actions:
1. They might touch your body.
2. They might grab your hand and pull it and force you to touch their genitals.
3. They might take pictures up your skirt with their device like a mobile phone or camera.
4. They might take a seat next to you and pretend to be sleeping while molesting you.
5. They might whisper obscene words or show you some obscene picture.
6. They might undo your shirt’s buttons or bra hook.
7. They might cut your clothes with scissors.

These kinds of molestation are just examples often happening on the train. They might harass you differently. So be careful!

You may wonder why these molesting acts are so common on the train in Japanese society. The main reason is Japanese women (or men) often feel embarrassed to be known by neighbour passengers by pointing at the criminal act and expressing their discomfort toward the molester or saying even a word to him/her to stop molesting. Some victims (especially young girls) are terrified of the molesters so that they can’t ask for help; they often just put up with the harassment and keep quiet until it ends, which indulges the Chikan acts.

How Chikan Molesters Find Target and Commit Crime

Often, they find their targets on the platform in the station first while waiting for a train to come. Once they have found a target, they creep up to right next to the target and follow them quietly when getting on the train.

Once the Chikan and the victim are in the same train car near each other, as one example of Chikan acts, the Chikan starts touching his target’s body.

Chikan on the Train

Chikans often look for someone who looks quiet because they are unlikely to express themselves, so the chikan is less likely to be caught. Elementary and junior high school students are often seen as an easy target, as they commute to their school on their own and many of them take trains. Those young commuters are too young to understand what is happening to them, too scared to seek help from other passengers or report the incident to their parents or guardians.

Chikans often go back to the same victims because they know that their victims are not courageous enough to speak up. Because of the victim’s reaction, chikan even think that the victims like to be touched by them, which is not usually true.

Train Companies’ Action

As the chikan problem became a big social issue in Japan, in 2002, the first women-only compartment service has started. Some trains in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba offer women-only passenger compartment in the morning and evening rush hours. In the Kansai area, including Osaka and Kobe, the train companies run woman only cars for the whole day on weekdays. They also put posters on the walls of station facilities warning against chikan molesting with a message stating that chikan is a crime.

What to Do When Getting Harassed

chikan, japan, chikan in japan
The best way to stop a chikan is to say loudly, ‘Stop touching my body’ or try to attract other passengers’ attention or call for help.

However, if you don’t feel confident to speak up, here are some suggestions from the Osaka police website to avoid becoming a victim of a chikan:

1. Use the woman-only passenger cars if possible.
2. Avoid wearing thin clothes that show your skin or tight clothes that reveal your body’s outline.
3. Avoid commuting on the same route every day at a certain time.
4. Carry a security buzzer and keep it handy.
5. Hold a newspaper or book in your hand.
6. Ring the mobile call noise when you are being molested to attract any attention from other passengers.

I hope this article will help to reduce chikan victims in all kinds of ways.

Writer: Miwa/Japan

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