It’s time this weekend for college entry exams in Japan. Every year around this time, a slew of social media postings tout how it’s the best time of year to molest female students on trains. To counteract the horrible trend, Tokyo police say they’re upping patrols and giving students who report the crime more flexibility.
Molestation (痴漢; chikan) remains a prevalent crime in Japan, particularly on crowded trains. Estimates by private groups say that over 80% of attacks may go unreported to police.
The threat rises around the time that students take Japan’s Common Test for University Admissions. Online commenters brag that exam time means it’s 痴漢祭 (chikan matsuri), “Molestation Festival” season, or 痴漢日和 (chikan biyori), “good conditions for molesting.” The thinking is that exam takers who don’t want to be late for their exams will be even less likely to make a police report.
To counter this, Tokyo Police say they’ll strengthen patrols over the weekend to protect female students. Officers have also been instructed to allow students to leave to finish their exams, conducting a lengthier investigation once the exam is over.
Police have also been patrolling online to gauge the threat to students. In some cases, such as the picture below, they’re even responding to potential assaulters with warnings that molestation is a crime.
There were 725 cases of molestation reported last year in Tokyo Metro. 455 of those, or around 60%, occurred on trains. 338 victims were in their 20s; 235 were only teenagers.
Only 33 of the reported cases last year were in January. However, given the fears around missing exams and the data we have on underreporting, it’s possible many victims decided never to file a report.
Police are also working with train stations to make announcements warning against the crime and deploying undercover female officers. The increased measures will last until March. Police are also considering calling on train takers to make use of the Digital Police app, which victims can use to issue a blaring alert and display an SOS message on their phones.
The action by police here is good to see. In the past, police did little to protect exam takers, leading private citizens to devise their own solutions. In 2020, one company rolled out their “Chikan Radar” app that sends an SOS signal and enables users to file a detailed report for later reference.
On social media, some users suggested women take matters into their own hands. One popular comic controversially recommended they carry around safety pins so they could stab their attacker’s hands.
Discuss this article with other UJ fans on our Bluesky account or Discord server!
Join Us And Get More
We’re an independent site that keeps our content free of intrusive ads. If you love what we do, help us do more. Donors of $5/month or more (paid monthly or yearly) join Unseen Japan Insider and get a newsletter with bonus content and commentary every week.
What to read next
Murdered Woman in Japan Reported Ex Nine Times for Stalking
Why did Kawasaki police fail to act on nine reports of stalking, doubts from the attacker’s own family, and the suspect’s suspicious behavior?
Tattooed Sashimi Chef Inherits Japanese Restaurant, Overcomes Hate Over Appearance
Tochonika Pepe, age 25, is the proprietress of a long-running kaisendon restaurant – and a TikTok and Instagram sensation.
Japanese Business Org Only Wants Geisha Under 25 Because Men Like ‘Em Young
The city’s Chamber of Commerce has a Leonard DiCaprio Rule for new geisha, saying they can’t be older than 25.
