While commuting on the train, I ran across the following very interesting (and some may consider disturbing, depending on your POV) article by way of blogger Stopped Clock. Check it out and holla back.
New blog post tomorrow…
“Hey Babygirl, you gotta check this out…
Japanese police launch crackdown on commuter gropers
It is one of the safest cities in the world, but for teenage girls and young women, travelling on Tokyo’s vast train and subway system comes with the ever-present risk of sexual harassment from fellow commuters.
But this week the Japanese capital’s police launched a crackdown on the scourge of groping. In the first reported case, Tsutomu Yamane, 30, was arrested with minutes of allegedly groping a 15-year-old girl on Monday morning.
Undercover police officers have been dispatched to notorious train lines across Tokyo in a new offensive against chikan , a catch-all term that covers groping, sexual rubbing and surreptitious mobile phone photography.
The introduction almost a decade ago of women-only carriages during the morning and evening rush hours failed to put an end to Japan ’s chikan plague, despite warnings that convicted gropers face up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 500,000 yen (£3,300).
Police in Tokyo make between 1,500 and 1,800 arrests a year, and have recorded more than 700 cases in the first six months of this year. More than 50% of victims are women in their 20s, and about a third are teenage girls. According to one survey, nearly two-thirds of young women say they have been touched inappropriately in train or underground carriages.
Kimiko Kitagawa, a 31-year-old business consultant, joined the long list of chikan victims as she stepped off a subway train near her office in central Tokyo earlier this year. “I felt a hand grab my backside, but when I turned around there were several men rushing to get past,” she said. “I had no way of knowing who had touched me.”
Confusion and embarrassment mean the number of groping incidents is suspected of being much higher than official reports suggest. “Many victims are reluctant to come forward, as they feel too embarrassed,” a police spokesman told the Yomiuri newspaper. “We are going to concentrate on the most serious cases.”
The crackdown came in response to a recent jump in cases involving groups of men who use online chat rooms to arrange where and when to target women. At least 100 websites list prime groping locations, offering hints on how to fondle undetected and, if that does not work, evade arrest.
One site advises would-be gropers to select carriages with doors that open near platform escalators or staircases – perfect escape routes.
Several men arrested in recent months have admitted being encouraged by the websites and emboldened by the prospect of working as part of a group. A typical tactic is to position two men in front and behind a victim, while as many as six other men block the view of other passengers.
The police are targeting nine railway lines in Tokyo where groping has become endemic, especially the Saikyo line, which takes commuters between Ikebukuro and Akabane in the capital’s suburbs.
Attempts to prosecute gropers, however, have been frustrated by cases in which women, often with the help of male accomplices, make have made false accusations in the hope of securing huge out-of-court settlements.
Men who are apprehended are usually found guilty. The 2007 film, I Just Didn’t Do It, was based on the true story of a young man accused of groping who cleared his name after a five-year battle. In another high-profile case, the supreme court last year acquitted a 63-year-old professor of molesting a teenage girl in 2006. He had earlier been sentenced to 22 months in prison.”
The Obsidian
34 Comments
Sounds like the DC Metro. Is this news?
B&G,
Yea, I’d hear it was really bad down there in the Adams Morgan section of DC. What have you heard?
And of course, NYC had some really bad problems along these lines. The reason why I find it very interesting in this case is because the Japanese people are quite reserved and withdrawn, at least that’s the perception. Also, there have been reports that Today’s Japanese Male is becoming even more withdrawn, preferring to veg out on the PC than interact w/the Women there, and so on.
Plus, I have to admit I was kinda impressed with their neat and tidy organization, LOL. I shouldn’t be laughing, but it is funny, but it’s also wrong. Guilty pleasure.
Anyway…your thoughts?
The Obsidian
this gropping stuff is the whiskeygeddon materialyzing. the “beta revolution” won’t go much further than this, they won’t overthrow the status quo, the maximum they can reach is making commuting harder for women
also, it is pretty obvious thgat women will abuse the right of accusation.
The Chikan problem was no surprise to me when I first heard about it. Yes, the Japanese are a neat and orderly people. But the men can be quite the lechers. Also, they have quite twisted pornographic comics that are very popular. One example is that of “Rape Man”, which features a main character who lurks in the background, then springs out to rape OLs (office ladies) and house wives.
So, I was not surprised to hear about the chikans on the trains when I first moved over there. The chikans are the worse in the evening because thats when all of the drunk salary-men return home (Japanese people think its OK to do things when they are drunk that they would never do when sober). The problem is bad and the police are right to arrest the chikans for such behavior.
Hi. Just popping in to say that pretty much all of my blog posts are taken directly from the BBC news feed that comes with Firefox. For anyone who wants to subscribe, the link is http://en-us.fxfeeds.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/headlines.xml
There was an article about the same situation in the NY subway in the NYTimes today:
http://tinyurl.com/yj8d23u
The problem, as always, is one of perception, as the cunt legal paradigm is not one of innocent until proven guilty, but guilty of whatever she says, whenever she says it, and by whoever she says did it.
Years ago I was coming up a long escalator in a NY subway station myself and checking out a rather hot chick on the down side. Just before I got to the top I looked back to see her with a police officer pointing back at me. I did get away, but I can’t help but wonder what crime I committed and what the cop would have done if he in fact had caught up with me.
And we wonder what makes George Sodinis possible.
This is odd. Every time I go to a club, I am able to entice a woman into dance, and within 10 minutes, manage to get some pretty heavy petting. All this without even our names being exchanged.
But maybe I am just well-practiced in non-verbal Game.
And we wonder what makes George Sodinis possible.
I’m surprised that there isn’t a Sodini every week, at least among men who are being brutalized in divorce court.
I simply have to also point out that Japanese Beta men, totally cornered as they are, are coming up with ways to bypass the women who so loathe their company, as per these Roissy articles :
http://roissy.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/sexbotopia/
http://roissy.wordpress.com/2007/08/17/sexbots/
Women should be careful what they wish for.
I once saw a Japanese porno clip depicting a mass groping on the subway. It was very peculiar.
Horny, angry males that are loathed by women and can have a false acusation by said women decide to rape? Put that in the No-Surprise folder.
Japan needs a Mystery. Or a Roissy. The anger can be felt in things like their porn.
On the London tube it often works the other way. Several times in the morning on a totally packed tube car, some woman’s ass gets pressed up against my junk and there’s not a damned thing I can do about it. The funny thing is, as the train rattles on and I’m slowly losing the battle of the bulge, the car stops, the crowd thins, and surprise, surprise, as the tube car moves forward again, that lady’s ass is still glued to my meat, despite the fact there is plenty of space for her to move forward into – were she so inclined. This had happened a couple times before and I had always backed off, then I decide to hold my ground and so there we are grinding back and forth with the swaying of the tube car as it careens forward towards the next stop. A few stops later she pulls away, flashes a quick smile, and disembarks. Happened too many times to be accidental; the most blatant case being where, after a short grinding session in a crowded but not packed car, a seemingly shy looking little Middle Eastern chick actually turned and faced me and started nonchalantly rubbing my wood with her hand and so I in return had to trust my free hand fully up between her legs. Again, after a few stops of this hidden primal rutting; the quick smile and she was gone. In that particular case I missed my stop since there was no way I was cutting that session short. Several other male friends of mine in London have related similar stories.
Only in London though — everywhere else I ride the metro people tend to keep their distance, as much as possible.
Yea, I’d hear it was really bad down there in the Adams Morgan section of DC. What have you heard?
I don’t actually live in DC but I’ve been there numerous times alone and have had some rather unpleasant experiences. They’ve got a site about it:
http://hollabackdc.wordpress.com/
Mack,
I believe you and it doesn’t surprise me. British women seem to be even coarser than the American ones, on average.
B + G
Yes British woman are amazingly trashy in so many ways; and not just sexually. They basically try to out-hooligan the boys, they try to out-drink, out-fight and out-sleaze their men. A few of my friends who got married in London managed to find that rare needle of a good British woman in the haystack of trash, but most just gave up and took the foreign import route; mostly French or Italian women. Latin culture still values femininity.
I’ve gotta admit, this story cracked me up. So did Mack’s. Neither surprises me. The subway, especially when crowded, affords something close to anonymity.
There is something peculiar about sexuality in Japan, though. Roissy’s post about the sexbots is an example. Men pay $6,000 for Real Dolls, and take them out for meals, etc. Check out this article from the New York Times last summer:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/magazine/26FOB-2DLove-t.html?_r=1
“According to many who study the phenomenon, the rise of 2-D love can be attributed in part to the difficulty many young Japanese have in navigating modern romantic life. According to a government survey, more than a quarter of unmarried men and women between the ages of 30 and 34 are virgins; 50 percent of men and women in Japan said they were not “going out with anybody.”
There’s a good indie film about this too – Lars and the Real Girl (Lars is American).
What this proves is that Obs was right on when he said there is a HUGE opportunity for Game in Japan. And btw, I think the women could probs use a little help too. Joint venture, anyone?
Yes, Roissy did have a post about this. But my understanding was that it had a fair amount to do with the rather stagnant economy over the last 10-15 years there. It had made it very difficult for men to secure employment in traditionally male sectors, and economic reforms are very, very slow to take hold because of a rather ossified political system (ie, reforming the banks and the postal service in Japan was/is apparently next to impossible). Declining birth rates are also making it difficult to sustain economic growth. This, in aggregate, made it more difficult for Japanese men to find companionship and marry—or even to leave home after schooling.
In some ways, it could foreshadow a similar situation in this country if the ‘Mancession’ is really just that.
I have not been to London recently, but I have also heard the same stories about the Brit-skanks. Also, their drinking and fighting. Some of the stories are so outrageous that I had a hard time believing that they are real. What is the deal with these women?
This behavior seems limited to Brit-skanks only. Although course, American women have not sunk to this low (at least not in the Pacific Northwest).
Yeah. I used to date an Englishman (about 2 years) while living in Germany and some British girls would hang out in our crowd. They would often get pissed-drunk within an hour of arriving at a restaurant and then spend the rest of the evening fawning on and flirting with the men. It was absolutely disgusting behavior. And they had complete potty-mouths, spoke with their mouth full, and burped at the table. So cute. These are women with post-graduate degrees, mind you.
Strangely, the guys didn’t seem to like it. The women really hated me because the men would all pay me attention instead of them (and it certainly wasn’t for lack of them trying). I think the guys were just grateful to have someone around that they could talk to normally without having her tits stuffed in their face.
Hey, Bill–
It’s “LumbergH”
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001873/
Mack, Ms. Walsh,
WOW. Never experienced anything like what you just reported Mack, although I have had quite a number of Women *grope me* on trains and buses. NOT good, LOL. In fact, this whole post has given me a good bit of thought about a post I might put up a bit later…
Ms. Walsh, I agree, that whole “sexdoll/sexbot” thing is kinda creepy to me to be frank. And yea, even though it’s a crime, I had to burst out laughing because of two things:
1. And I know this is gonna sound politically incorrect-but I’m sorry, I just have a very hard time seeing Asian folk making sexytime, its funny to me. There, I said it
And
2. Because of the sheer efficiency and organization of it all-these are grownassed Men who actually have internet sites, clubs and the like devoted to this, w/”action plans” escape routes, you name it. Really bizarre. In a very funny way, LOL!!!
Also, I kinda thought there’d be manga/hentai comics/animation about these or related topics so that doesn’t surprise me, nor of the “groping porn”. Just out of curiousity, I gotta check some of this out for myself. Anyone know any site recommendations?
The Obsidian
susanawalsh,
What is the difference between a sex doll and an uninterested woman?
The sex doll is cheaper and there is no chance of alimony/ child support. Cannot say that it is irrational.
For a Japanese man, the other choice is a harpy who dries up after marriage, takes all his money and berates him for not making enough money. Honestly, would you want to live with such a person?
theobsidianfiles,
If you have problem seeing asian men as sexual beings, don’t be surprised if they see you as sambo.
Dude. I think the de-sexualization of Asian people is probably something endogenous in American culture writ large. I mean, when is the last movie or TV show you saw with Asian male (or female) lead? Any Asian-Americans on the magazine/sexy people lists? If you’re observant, you’ll have realized that people of Asian descent are generally depicted asexually in American culture. It’s a problem with the culture we all grew up in—but it doesn’t even come close to comparing to centuries old tripes against blacks like ’sambo’.
Susan Walsh wants to be a Game entrepreneur? What next?
The problem is, 80% of men would never, ever comprehend what Game is. The market is smaller than in may appear.
Lucifer, that is exactly what Japanese men say! They find relationships with inanimate dolls more rewarding than with women. However, I think we would all agree that this cannot be good for Japanese society, or the economy. Birth rate is a huge issue, but so is the fact that so many Japanese citizens are miserable. Men and women are designed to enjoy mating – we have been provided many built-in rewards. The stats above re loss of virginity and perpetual singledom strongly imply that people must be lonely and unhappy. Hence the subway groping?
I want to disagree about Asians being perceived as asexual in American culture. I agree that this is true for the men. However, in Asian films there is obvs no shortage of sexual, virile males. They are not high-testosterone types for the most part, so I believe they are not a good fit for the American ideal image, which is hypermasculine.
However, for the women it’s a different story. I remember once mentioning to a male friend that one particular young man had a real thing for Asian women. His response was, “Who doesn’t?” I have no idea why one would assume a Japanese woman would dry up after marriage and berate her man. These are the women who invented the Geisha arts!
Re entrepreneurship opportunities, I would not envision teaching game per se, because a)there is no such thing as female game and b)it sounds like there is a need for improving basic social skills. Indeed, maybe a modern day Geisha approach would be the way to go.
The long prison sentences are excessive, but I approve of the crack-downs in general. People should be able to ride the subway without feeling like they’re going to be violated
This is odd. Every time I go to a club, I am able to entice a woman into dance, and within 10 minutes, manage to get some pretty heavy petting. All this without even our names being exchanged.
Clubs are more or less a “meat market” where one tries to flirt with members of the opposite sex, so there’s an implied consent for that sort of behavior. (That said, a man who just goes up to a woman and starts groping her without any signals or IOIs will probably be removed by security.)
Subways are for a very practical purpose; to get from Point A to Point B. The women who ride it are not there for the purpose of finding a sexual mate, therefore the standards of civilized society apply. No one has the right to force themselves upon another person.
I’m surprised that there isn’t a Sodini every week, at least among men who are being brutalized in divorce court.
There is a Sodini every week in the sense that there are constantly cases in which a man kills his wife or girlfriend. The reason why these cases aren’t national news is because those murderers at least don’t have the gall to kill people they’ve never even met and have done nothing to them.
Yeah, what I said is definitely more true for Asian men than women. I can name at least a few sexy Asian starlets—Ziyi Zhang, Sandra Oh—but no Asian men at all.
I think also part of the infatuation with Asian women is that they are stereotyped as being exotic and more submissive and/or feminine than Western women. Whether or not this is true, I think the message to Western chicks is clear: stop acting like dudes.
Maybe part of what we’re seeing in Japan is men turning to other avenues after their women have become more Westernized (ie, berating, bitchy, etc). As Western culture has creeped in, it’s turned their women into something they’re simply not attracted to.
In a way, I can relate.
Yeah, what I said is definitely more true for Asian men than women. I can name at least a few sexy Asian starlets—Ziyi Zhang, Sandra Oh—but no Asian men at all.
Jet Li and Chow-Young-Fat are pretty good.
The Indian film industry is vast, and gender roles are VERY tightly defined in all of the 2000+ films produced annually.
Yeah, as action stars. But they are not considered sexy in any sense.
There is some misconception about Asian, especially Japanese, women here in the U.S. Asian women, most especially the Japanese, present the demure, submissive persona as the public presentation of themselves. Privately (meaning inside the house), they can be quite different. For one, all financial and other aspects of family decisions (like where to live and where the kids go to school) are made by the wife. The husband get an “allowance” each week or month that he can spend on personal choice. The rest of the family finances are decided by the wife.
In public, Japanese women have these high pitched, squeaky, ultra-feminine voices. Inside, they have normal voice (which is also the sexual voice) that they speak with to the husband and the kids.
There is also tatemae. This is difference between inside thought and outside expressions. Of course, I was the expert at tatemae long before I ever even thought I would live in Japan for 10 years (perhaps this is why I got on so well in Japan).
In reality, Japanese women can be real ball-busters. However, unlike the American white women, they are far more subtle and sophisticated in how they go about it. The Chinese women are worse. we have a saying that Japanese women are like marshmallows whereas Chinese women are like beef jerky. Of course both kinds of Asian women are, in reality, far tougher than the American white women. Asian women have soft exterior, but are tough on the inside. American white women have hard exterior, but have no toughness on the inside.
At the end of the day, I respect Asian women more than American women, even it I might not be sexually attracted to them.
Love is ultimately about respect.
Yeah, as action stars. But they are not considered sexy in any sense.
They are male leads with romantic storylines with the female lead (such as Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Jody Foster, etc.)
I am not convinced you have seen any of their films.
Remember that Bruce Lee married a blonde hottie way back in the day (1960s).
Jet Li is definitely sexy.
And I had a major crush on Jackie Chan all through high school. We all did. Watched nearly every movie his was in, multiple times. Then we’d swoon.
I think y’all are showing your age on this one, LOL.
I think that dragnet was focusing on the perceived image of those actors as sexual.
I cannot name one movie in which an Asian action star did anything sexual with a female. For instance, Jet Li got a peck on the cheek for saving a woman in Kiss of the Dragon.
And the case of Bruce Lee is just one outlier. This hardly happens even in 2009 Hollywood, right?
By the way, Sandra Oh is not sexy.
Wow. The police need to start doing this India. There the authorities do nothing about “eve teasing” but the women themselves are not starting to organize rapidly, thanks to the internet, and fight back.
http://blog.blanknoise.org/2008/10/step-by-step-guide-to-unapologetic.html