Train Operators Fight Groping by Creating Women-Only Cars

She felt something brush up against her bottom, but thought nothing of it. Then it happened again, this time an unmistakable squeeze. She grabbed the hand of the perpetrator and dragged him out of the train at the next station, where she reported the incident to station staff and the police.

The man was found guilty and forced to pay a 300,000-yen fine (about $2,580), but the young woman, who asked that her name not be used, still feels a sense of indignation over the incident: "After I yelled on the train that I had been molested, no one came to my help and I was ignored. In Japan, molesters are not seen as criminals because these cases happen every day."

The prevalence of chikan, as molesters are known in Japanese, has become a problem endemic to Tokyo. The number of molestation cases on Tokyo's trains has almost tripled since 1996, to 2,201 cases in 2004, according to the Tokyo metropolitan police.

In response to the growing problem, several Tokyo train operators have introduced women-only train cars, which are seen as a refuge from the chikan.

"We've received numerous requests from women who would like us to establish women-only cars on our other train lines," said a spokesman for East Japan Railway, the country's largest train operator. "The overwhelming response from women has been positive."

Segregated cars for women and children are not new. The Japan National Railroad used them from 1947 to 1973 because women and children were having trouble even getting on the packed trains; the cars were abolished in favor of seats designated for the elderly and disabled. In December 2000 the Keio Teito Electric Railway Co. temporarily set up female-only cars as a refuge from drunken holiday revelers.

Tokyo's overcrowded train lines make it relatively easy for molesters to operate. The population of Tokyo, one of the world's biggest cities, swells from 12 million to 15 million on weekdays, as commuters pour in from the suburbs. It is estimated that at peak hours, some trains on Tokyo's main lines carry double their official capacity.

Experts say the number of chikan has swelled simply because many do not view their actions as a crime.