To be honest, The person accused to be the molester has to be proven guilty before anything. People can just hit the police up and accuse an innocent person they dont like.
Reactions aren't always "fight or flight". Freezing is also an instictive reaction to situations where someone feels scared or uncomfortable. If someone freezes, that DOES NOT mean that they want or approve of whatever's happening.
true, some people freeze, some people fight, honestly I hope most of us would go for the latter because freezing wont do any justice, neither would fighting but it's better
@@Microbit0 freeze, or pathetically try to flee, japanese girls aren't known for their wits. On the other hand Eastern Europeans carry ceremonial daggers in their pants for some reason
I love how you're brave enough to speak about the problems in Japan that is not spoken about in other countries, specially the West. We got the idea that Japan is this perfect utopia and this videos are so helpful to see that is just a country like any other. I want to go live to Japan some day, I hope, so this really helps me to get ready to anything I can encounter there.
Many people don’t see the dark side of each country and places because they refuse or chose not to see it, people say Japan is a perfect utopia but in reality, social norms can easily harm the individual and I’m talking about japan’s hikikomori problems and disappearing people, also their work culture especially office jobs are pretty toxic if you ask me. If you listen most of the songs from Japan, there will usually be a reference to their culture and their experiences. But that doesn’t mean this country sucks, there’s way worse places than Japan regardless.
@@Shibagaesski Watching lots of videos on social issues can definitely be helpful and Shogo surely does a very good approach, professional, fact based, often with a respectful smile. 👍🙂 I also really like Asagi's Life. But for me, the channel of Nobita was most helpful so far. Yesterday's video "Why Dating is Hard in Japan" was really an eye opener about tatemae and honne. Of course I knew the concept and it's benefits in a group based society. But I realised that I often have missed the hints that were dropped. Darkside of Japan Yuki is also interesting to watch. Edit: typos 😉
Hearing that female officer's story made my blood boil. I don't know if I should be more angry at the groper or the fact that it was treated it as if it were her fault.
This is destessingly common occurrence with sexual harassment and assault, and not just in Japan. Victim blaming is almost a bigger problem than the assaults themselves and is a huge contributor to why they are so underreported world wide.
This sort of thing used to frustrate me as well... but we must not let our judgments of how we believe she ought to have responded distract from what's important. It might be easier, for us as onlookers, to understand the circumstance if she were more comfortable being outspoken, but even if she is cripplingly self-conscience or insecure that's ok. The situation calls for high-levels of respect, so as to counter the high-level of disrespect associated with sexual crime.
My friend was groped by a Japanese Salaryman on the Chuo line in Tokyo. She kneed him in the balls. The police were called and made her apologise to him for embarrassing him. You couldn’t make up the level of bigotry against foreigners Japan had in the 00’s.
I know hindsight is 20/20, especially in a traumatic situation like that, but could your embassy not at least be contacted in a situation like that? Are they not there to protect the legal rights of their citizens abroad? (Let's be real, it only applies to diplomats and celebrities)
@@liammeech3702 they don’t want to lose their “ally” causing a “bad image”. But we’ll, some young men chikan just for fun... I know some latinoamerican who thought it was fun, even in their countries and having small sisters, they still think fun.
I'm surprised that Japan hasnt fixed this problem of trains, they've had decades to develop this. All it takes is have to enough space for passengers to be able to see others clearly. The country complains about decline in population but cant even compensate for their current population, where are they even spending their money? entertainment industry?
The fact the Female Officer Uniform involves a tight skirt and heels is baffling. It's like they don't expect Female Officers to be in situations where you need to move quickly or do anything physically taxing.
Alot of thought goes into police uniforms, don't underestimate the guberment on this issue. In less violent societies, this dress code is normal because more emphasis is placed on the image of the state rather than practical necessity. If you will encounter a hard core criminal once every 10years then militarising the police is overkill and frightens the citizenry unnecessarily but if you just deal with petty or similar small crimes then imagery of the state takes precedence because it assures the citizenry all is well and the guberment is functioning so well, it can afford to look pretty and impractical.
@@dragulamcfeisty199 This makes sense. People in the US often complain that the police force has become too militaristic, and it causes unrest among the population. Maybe there is a compromise, though. There I'm sure there are classy woman's shoes that don't prevent running like high heels do.
The worst thing I've ever heard was when a friend of mine told me about one of his friends going on a trip to Japan specifically to molest girls on trains, because it's "normal" there. You need to be a special kind of weird and out of touch to think that way.
I had been molested on a train in Sgp. I shouted at him and took a photo of him and lodged a Police report Women should not keep silent. They ought to be exposed !
The problem is in Japan sexual harrassment and sexual exploitation are usually brushed off by the authorities. I still remember reading an article of a very famous idol there that was assaulted by two guys in front of her house yet the management forced her to apologize for speaking out. The two assailant never get caught.
I've lived in Japan for 20 years and was surprised to learn about this. I had a girlfriend before who told me she had 2 incidents. Once was in a crowded train where she couldn't move. Someone behind her continually kept rubbing her private parts. The second incident was as people were exiting the train someone grabbed her butt. Another problem is that if happens, as he pointed is that this happens when you reach a station or the person is able to exit the train easily. A friend of mine was on a train witnessed a woman getting molested by a man sitting in the seat next to her. She kept trying to push him off and crying out "Dame!" (Don't!). All of the Japanese on the train ignored her cries for help. My friend (from South America) got up and grabbed the man and pulled him out of the seat screaming at him. About a minute later the train reached a station and the man quickly ran out of the train and out of the station. He told the woman he would go with her to file a report (most stations have cameras), but the woman declined saying she would be late for work. Another thing you can do is get an alarm. My daughter has one of these. Most school children have these. It hangs from her backpack and if you have any trouble you pull the bottom half off setting off a shrieking alarm.
I will be frank. In my country (Poland), if someone would try to play such dangerous games here, there's a high chance that the perpetrator will be "politely" asked to leave the cart and will be given a free-of-charge face reconstruction (or rather deconstruction) surgery before being given to the authorities.
in Amsterdam, the perp would probably be protected. Especially if he's a muslim as they are a protected class and can do pretty much whatever they want without consequences. After all, the woman "was asking for it by not dressing modestly" and "it's part of their culture and we should not judge that". It's disgusting, but that's how things work in the Netherlands now, and especially in the big cities.
As a young exchange student in Japan, it took me a while to realize that when the train went around curves, and Japanese men “fell” against me, ti was a form of chikan-there was no reason for them to lose their balance if they’d braced themselves, and a blonde Californian was a rarity on the trains. So I watched for curves, braced my feet firmly, and braced my elbows out, making a sort of “spike” aimed toward the nearest male train passengers. Suddenly, each and every salaryman knew how to brace themselves so as not to fall against me on the train...!
I’m glad they have female only cars to help solve this issue. It’s pretty embarrassing that you have to create such a solution but it’s the assaulters fault to begin with.
Its more a failing of society that its gotten so big. Tho obviously the assaulters are part of the problem but the entire society has set them up for success.
When I was a young man I assisted my instructor in teaching self-defense to girls in private schools, one of the biggest hurdles was getting them to fight back. Once they gained some self-confidence they were able to respond much better. Around that point in my first month of teaching, I realized self-confidence and remaining in mental control of yourself was 90% of the message the girls needed to learn, not just for self-defense but for helping them through many aspects of their future lives. I understand how the Japanese culture would make this so much harder for young women there.
I think giving off a vibe of self confidence also helps prevent being a victim in the first place. That's basically why the badges are working - if you have the confidence to wear a badge about what is a pretty taboo subject in Japan, most chikan are going to steer clear.
Unfortunately, it isn’t just a matter of confidence. It is normal to react with shock. Many sa victims freeze in order to avoid the situation. It is an automatic reaction. Psychologically. That’s why it is so cruel to ask „why didn’t you react?“.
@@chiara1347obviously if you're not trained you'll react with shock that's why you should train some sort of self defence. It's crazy that so few women train anything just to be to scared to move when it's time for the reaction.
@@Matt-bp5vyIssue it is not a matter of training, women in the military often get abused. You cannot get rid of a physical reaction your body has due to chemicals. There are methods to calm yourself down, however that takes time. This is why victims are so common, there is no way to calm down fast enough. I know because I have rehabilitation behavioural therapy for panic attacks.
This is such a serious issue, and one I have such a hard time to wrap my head around. As someone from Hungary, we don't have very serious laws against this either. Someone sexually harassing women is not very likely to be punished by the laws, but actually very likely to be punished by the public. We don't have too many incidents because it is not uncommon for men like these to be beaten up. I have personal experiences with men trying to feel me up on an overpacked bus in the morning rush, but when I turned around and yelled at him that if he touches me again I'm gonna break his nose, the whole bus agreed with me on that (an old lady started a whole rant about how he should be ashamed of himself and how his mom must be ashamed of him too, and several other people threatened him with violence too if he touched anyone). He got off at the next stop, absolutely humiliated. Of course nobody thought to call the police because they would have been completely useless. But the public isn't. And I think that is the difference. But I cannot imagine anybody's gut reaction not being to yell and/or to hit the perpetrator... I have moved to the UK since then and honestly, morning rush hour looks exactly the same on the London underground. Yet I have never been molested on an overcrowded train. It is way more likely to happen at night on the last trains, when there's barely anyone around. I did have to give a man like that a punch in the face once, but interestingly, here, everyone asked me if I wanted to press charges. I ended up declining, but at least there was an option here for prosecution. Not exactly perfect but at least there are some laws in the UK against sexual harassment. I really think this is an issue where the public opinion is the most important part. You could fix laws, or overtime at work, or make safe trains only for women, but at the end of the day the issue is public opinion. That somehow the one who should be ashamed is the victim and not the perpetrator. I think that's the part that needs fixing first of all... Really great video btw!! I'm really glad that you talked about this issue, and the way you explain things makes me understand these problems a bit more from the Japanese perspective.
What you wrote is unfortunately entirely subjective and my experience in Hungary is vastly different. Men are not just rubbing against women on packed buses or trams, but do surprise butt slaps out of the blue, then flee. Out in the open in the middle of the day. And don't get me started with the cat-callers. Sure if it is witnessed and the guy is caught they get yelled at. That's about it.
I think some people lack a base respect for women and don't see them as equals to men but more sexual objects and entertainment for men and don't see that victim blame is an issue. I think that's the biggest problem with it. No one speaks up and makes a scene. I think this happens everywhere but is especially an issue in Japan.
It's never easy to discuss the bad things in your culture. So thank you. This is a scary kind of crime. The lack of a unified taskforce or unilateral legislation to protect people, or victim-friendly police is a real problem.
It all goes back to the traditional hierarichal society which places the man above the woman. That is ingrained deeply and is at the root of many fucked up things but what it causes are not seen as real problems and are not treated as such.
I actually experienced indecent assault on a train in Australia. It's so hard to speak out. I almost felt like I could pretend it wasn't happening if I didn't say anything or try to stop it. It took me some time to work up the courage but I yelled at him in front of everyone on the train. Super embarrassing. But he went to prison, and the police officers later praised me for how I handled the situation, as a number of other girls came forward with similar stories. He only got eighteen months though lol wtf.
@Barbara This was in Australia. He also had multiple victims testify, and I think they had evidence from my clothes and the train security cameras. He plead guilty too, so I guess he got less time for that too. The case was big enough that I didn't need to testify either.
A friend of mine from India told me this happened a lot when she was a teen. She and her friends carried extra safety pins attached to their garments. They would open the pin on the train and jab a touchy perpetrator. My friend said the men were usually shocked at the retaliation and then embarrassed that they had been caught.
This is why understanding the difference between fiction and reality is so important that can lead you a different way of thinking, which I think Japan needs to change its system and develop some better one's so that the problem can be solved in today's society in order to prevent Chikan incidences. BTW, the high-school girl who invented the school batches of Anti-Chikan were quite effective and I do hope that others in Japan take this young high school girl with talents improve their country for the better in future. Great educational video as always Shogo, keep on coming and hopefully you'll get a million subscribers soon.
As a woman who wants to travel to Japan, but has always been afraid of something like this happening to me, I really appreciate you bringing light to this issue. I’ve never seen anyone give ways of preventing it from happening so thank you for sharing this information ☺️
Not trying to be rude, those jerks don't dare to go near foreigner women, since Japanese women are "submissive"(atleast in theory) they are more subject to it.
@@your_name96 no worries, you’re not being rude! And I’ve heard a few people say that too, but I’ve also heard of many foreign women being harassed too, mostly because the guys assume the foreigners can’t speak Japanese and defend themselves. I guess it’s a matter of how bold the jerk is. Either way, it’s still a really unfortunate reality of being in japan
I'd say.. avoid crowded trains. With a lot more people, it's so much easier for 'em to get away with it because you wouldn't be able to tell who touched you o-o (of course not to say it wouldn't happen if less crowded, but a lot less likely). And stay alert. Hope you do visit some day! Worth it :3
@@your_name96 that isn't true. There's an American RUclipsr (I forgot her name) who documented her stay in Japan and unfortunately was molested/SA on her way back to her apartment from school. She spoke about her ordeal with the Japanese police & how they didn't help at all to put her attacker/stalker away. It can and will happen to any woman it seems, & foreigners are targeted too because it's harder for us to file a report in Japan.
@@AiyameXi I see, I didn't know about these kind of incidents...I always used to think foreign women in japan are less subjected to harassment due to their "active"/confrontational nature as compared to the typical passive conflict-avoiding japanese women.
My wife is from a small town in Japan called Maizuru . We went and visited her parents last year and she wanted to avoid taking trains because of PTSD she had growing up . I reassured her that she was safe with me ( I’m 6’8 215 pounds ) and that nobody would try any creep stuff . Once we got off she told me multiple stories about sexual encounters she had as a child that she was never able to speak out against . Your videos give me a deeper understanding of the hierarchy and everything she went through . Thank you .
in Brazil they added this part on domestic violence were once the case is reported the state becomes the accuser and the case cant be abandoned even if the victim want, of course for a different reason, as in case of domestic violence the agressor usually gets worse after the victim goes to the police and if the case is abandoned it usually leads to murder
@@ExtremeMan10 That's a lot of words for, "The issue at hand doesn't really matter that much to me, but man, I sure do hate misandrists, leading to me lumping in average women with self worth and wanting to be equal to wanting to ruin men's lives." Really though dude, this issue does relate to that, but it takes away the importance of how much things like this really need to stop. I do agree with you the punishment should 100% be more harsh, though, it's not the time to talk about literal crazy people who frame others for crimes.
The part of "Women can't speak up" gives me a better understanding on what happened to ELISA and the sexual harassment that her manager did to her up to the point where the authority said that it was the same/mutual pleasure shared and not considered as Sexual Harassment. Thank you so much, Shogo.
Back when i was like 16, my seniors used to said to me like “Japan is a paradise for men but not for women” or something like that, at first i thought it was a joke but i realized they didn’t even laugh. Now i’m older and I lived in Japan, I am now understand what is going on
Why would anyone see someone that was sexually harassed as a pervert? And why does chikan sometimes get seen as no big deal, but other times people get arrested for it on the spot?
It is likely due to one of these two hypotheses, but could be due to something else. the belief that if a woman gets assaulted, then she was asking for it by the way she dressed or acted. It’s an idea that has eroded in the West in the wake of thigg by a like MeToo, but is still pretty standard in other parts of the world. It may also be due to the porn industry- lots of sexual acts, regardless of whether you are the perp or victim are considered lewd. So to even partake in those acts is considered a perversion.
@@MasterOfBaiter Why does it care about harmony so much more than other countries? I've read that they did long ago to survive and the culture stayed, but many countries used to be even more dangerous to live on and people didn't act like Japan.
@@waleedkhalid7486 But people dressed totally normally for Japan still get groped. Also, how would someone being the victim be a pervert? That's like ancient Greek with people that are raped being considered defiled, as if one's status as a person is not at all influenced by their own actions, but what others to do them.
@@kingchickenwing4887 the common theory is natural selection. Japan is an island plagued by natural disasters. Coexistence and hegemony are very important to maintain a group that can work together efficiently. I assume because this worked in the past they perpetuated this system till the modern day. No time of Japan was truly peaceful and without crime so the cracks were there already but with the explosion of population and urbanisation it's just more noticeable
I used to live in London, I would be on packed tubes/buses/trains every day, and although sexual assault is a major problem here, I’ve never heard of it happening on busy public transport - much more likely when you are by yourself with an assaulter because if there are other people around, they will speak out and physically threaten the person - it’s awful that in a country like Japan no one would do anything, it’s scary!
@curiousitykilledthecat9933 - I grew up in and lived in London, daily travelling by packed tube trains, in the mid 1980s to late 1990s. Being s*xually harassed or s*xually assaulted was a daily occurrence for me, at least once per train, my journey often needing me to change to different lines, for it to happen on there too. People never intervened - not even when men were openly m*sturbating - preferring to ignore it was happening. These were white smartly dressed British businessmen that were committing such obscene acts or doing the groping.
@@anitarogers28771980’s were literally 40 years ago. That’s a bit of a stretch to say here in the UK is just as bad based on your experiences from 1980
I am glad you are addressing this issue, but I hope that RUclips doesn’t demonetize this. They have a habit of doing that to videos that talk about ‘controversial’ topics.
He can always through anti- cultural stigma back at the elites... wouldn't want to marginalize the lived experiences of people of color, would they...? Also MeToo...? Taking off my cynical political lenses now. In all seriousness though, this is a serious topic that should be discussed. If RUclips can't get behind supporting that, in this extremely informative yet respectful way, then they are on the side of rug sweeping for molesters and chikan predators. Don't be that way RUclips. Age restrict if you must (even though it's an issue faced by children and teens as well), but don't hurt Shogo in the pocketbook for discussing and creating a sounding board for awareness and brainstorming.
@@Undomaranel they better not, because online platforms are getting a little tolerant of molesters, but treat critical analysts with different opinions like trash. We need social awareness about these sensitive topics and should be it that way so such crimes and incidents can be prevented in the future.
RUclips is no longer the way that we use to know in general nowadays without the broadcast yourself words underneath the brand and the logo. Take T-Series vs Pewdiepie is a good example.
When i was 18 a man groped me on a half full carriage , it took me around 30 second to start yelling at him , it was enough to get him to back off, two young men sitting near by got up and grabbed the molester . I'm Australian and this was on an Australian train , the police were called , the molester was arrested, i was interviewed by female police officers , cctv footage was to grainy to confirm anything and no one except me actually witnessed anything , the two men who helped me said to the police that they were responding to my yelling about being groped but they didn't see it happen. the molester had legal aid and said he didn't grope me, he just bumped into me, he said he had a mental illness and was a bit drunk at 9 am , he was let go with a warning . This was in 1998 .
After living in the U.S. for 50 years, I've learned to react and speak out in certain situations. With that being said, laws should be changed to protect the victim more. Also, the current law emboldens the person committing the crime because there are no consequences to "his" actions.
Just saying but, the chikan incident's will still continue and will never stop because some of it's corrupt politician within the system/enforcement/law (as well as the regular people and rich people (son)/men (adult's) who do these chikan stuff). There will be many more victims to come. Nothing will change because they will do whatever it takes to get back at you (like black mailing you and threaten you with your whole family and siblings to get their ways).
I'm a male living in indonesia, i was molested once on the over crowded train. I guess being a guy is also not safe on packed trains. Random guy suddenly pressed me from behind and breathing quite heavily on my neck almost sniffing. I never felt so dirty before in my life and it's not like i could just scream out to stop this creep. ಥ╭╮ಥ
Yes there will always be chikan incidents but i still want that victims receive help. I have been on overpacked trams before COVID but i have never been molested and i am dutch BTW and there is no possibility to bribe a officer or a politcian in my country.
This felt very personal at the end when you mentioned your own two daughters. You are creating a positive change for their future as well by discussing these topics, and educating for social awareness and personal safety.
As a married man planning on visiting Japan soon, I have a question: What would happen to me if my wife becomes a victim of chikan, I see it happening and decide to bash up the perpetrator? Would I be sent to jail or would it be seen as self-defense?
If you were to bash up the perpetrator, you could find yourself in serious trouble with the police. if the police get involved then they might side with the Japanese person. Unless you speak good Japanese do not get into a scuffle. In fact even if you do speak good Japanese, still avoid getting into a scuffle since you are a foreigner.
There are no proper self defense laws in Japan. If you harm that man despite him molesting your wife, you can be charged. Being a foreigner and not speaking japanese will also be an additional detriment added as police tend to take the side of their own.
your wife should be fine as long as you're around. most are cowards and understand the laws of the jungle: mess with another man's woman at your own peril. just don't go on packed trains as you'll never identify the perp.
I would really really like to tip my hat to you on the sensitivity discussing it, im a ptsd victim and topics like this can be very difficult to stomach. I was hesitant to even watch. your video was thorough enough to highlight how serious it is, but not enough to trigger me. Thank you.
A friend of mine goes to Japan on business trips, and he tells me stories like this one. Being a guy, I HATE other guys that do this to females. It's disgusting.
I was really impressed with the high school girl who made up the badges. That was so clever! I bet it probably also acts as a deterrent as it shows the girls aren't just protecting themselves but also looking out for each other.
I live in the US and back when I was in college, my dorm sponsored a self-defense class for all the girls who lived in the building. One of the things I remember being taught was to shout and make a huge scene if we were being molested/assaulted on top of learning how to fight back. Basically, the whole idea is to draw as much attention to the criminal and what they're doing as possible. So it's so bizarre for me to hear how someone doesn't speak up while being assaulted that way. Good to know that those badges seem to work to some degree though.
@@nikicarrie4071 I'm from South Asia, and In every school or college Separate self defence sessions were arranged for girl students One of state gov even include it in syllabus under physical exercise and education But I think what was incmplt was that they should even arrange classes to teach men to respect women too
One time somebody stroke/touched my hair whenever I was passing by, in a club, in Korea, and I snapped at him. It was loud and there formed a circle around us of Idk 8 people. He looked at me as if I was crazy. And Nobody did a thing. I yelled at him as loud as I could and was trying to kick him but he was like 4 heads taller than me. Yeah.. nobody did anything. I also don't remember it that well, but I believe I was there with a group if friends. And we had 2 guys with us. And one of them was even into me.
There's a video floating around where two school girls are chasing down their chikan assailant on a train station platform and an elderly gentleman trips up the running criminal's legs so he falls, allowing the cops to catch him.
A girl of 19 from Japan was here in Australia and some dirty swine mauled her on the bus. I saw it and when we got off the bus, she was sobbing. I asked her if she wanted to report it, and she said no and panicked. She said that it would bring shame on her from her family. Poor little girl, her friend and I took her for a cup of tea and after an hour of assuring her it was not her fault. The law actually make matters much worse with media coverage.
One day, my sister got touched while riding on the bus and my brother and I were on the same bus. The offender got beaten by us and other bystanders and ended up in the hospital. My country is not tolerant to harassments to the point of having a law against it even if verbal comments are sexually oriented, with 5 to 10 years of jail time.
Thank you for posting this video. As the father of two daughters and having a niece in Japan, this issue is near and dear to me. Hopefully, the government will take this issue more seriously and start prosecuting this criminal behavior. It won't happen on its own, though. People must pressure the government and police to ensure the necessary changes in the laws are made.
This is the main reason I dislike when people make out Japan like this paradise. Yes the country is nice, but every country is going to have fatal flaws. It's crazy how some non-japanese people try to justify this behavior just to fit their idealized vision of Japan. I've even seen people say "japanese women are submissive and thus like this treatment" in response to high assault rates in Japan. It's very sad.
Well if you only talk to teenage anime fans what do you expect. Any adult knows differently. You just got to think about the Yakuza influence. Women are not submissive in Japan. They may seem it at first but culture tells them to behave that way. Just marry one and find out differently.
I think any country has people like this, who just enjoy the powerplay of molesting helpless victims. When I was in my 10s-20s in Sweden, I rode on the bus/tram a lot and pretty often something would happen, usually by older men. but I would just freeze up, and then cry when I finally made it home and I felt sooo pathetic I didn't tell my mom. There is something that's so common it has its own term: "victim blaming". People start questioning the victim instead of the perpetrator. Why, didn't you do anything? Why didn't you run away? Why didn't you call for help? Etc, etc. I literally can't answer that myself, but I can tell you this; I absolutely hated every second of it, and I can remember every disgusting moment even now when I'm in my 30s. How dare you make me feel shame as if I enjoyed it.
I'm sorry you experienced that. I agree with you, these kind of garbage people are everywhere. In Spain, my country, when I was a teen going to school I experienced it and told my parents. They gave me "permission" to scream and hurt whoever touched me and told me to go crazy if I wanted because they would help me afterwards. I did the next time and I felt powerful lmfao and when I see teens experiencing it now as an adult I intervene because I know that most of us don't know to react in such a disgusting situation. I hope none of us has to experience it anymore, not our teens and children.
@@anjafrohlich1170 free will, We can never truly stop(at our current state of progress) these things from happening without causing injustice via Guilty until proven innocent. Nature is simply indifferent to suffering
@@anjafrohlich1170 oh yeah, and society is in flexible.. It hard to apply blanket laws to rapidly growing amounts of unique people even with the amount if clauses and except we already have we just don't have to ability to do it...
I remember there was an article about women and chikan. I forgot where it was but it really made me upset because they were talking about women be molested on trains in a hentai manga. These were westerners talking about and justifying how it was OK for a woman in Japan to get molested on the train. Many of them stating that they've heard from their Japanese lady friends how it was a sort of rite a passage to be touched or molested or Worse on the train. But these were all Western perverts who really wanted to justify how it was OK if they went to Japan and grope a woman on a train because because she's OK with it and even if she's not what can she do. It's a stigma that the Japanese do it all the time in Japan and if you can get away with it you may as well go for it. And this horrible stigma seeps into Western culture when it comes to Asian women and being on a crowded bus. One of my good friends in high school told me when she was Going home this man copped a feel on her and and she was too terrified to say anything and he ended up stealing her cell phone as well. She was our Korean exchange student and we all told her that she had all rights to go crazy and yell and scream at him for attempting to touch her. But even she was like She didn't want to cause any trouble. And we told her she can yell and scream if someone was trying to hurt her. But I'm so glad you brought this up that a lot of the scenarios come from porn and people cannot differentiate between fiction and reality.
About the fiction I don't necessarily agree with 100% (although it depends on how you interpret what Shogo says). Often fiction depicts things that are impossible or ridiculous IRL and then it can be easily discerned. But in this case it's something that to an extent reflects reality instead, and you may think that it can influence reality because of it. Yet this is a case where Real Life predated the Fiction, as it's depicting a very specific and complex situation that the reader can understand, and would not otherwise. If it were the contrary, it would probably not be much shown in fiction. That's why If it stopped being shown in fiction altogether, it'd sadly still occur in a similar degree IRL. However it's true that some people cannot tell the difference (or they can but lack empathy, or can't control their impulses), and in places with such a high density of people, with the conditions mentioned, those few become a significant amount per year. If that's part of the problem, then the point of it being an educational problem acquires more relevance. Also, for a person to have the "tools" to "tell fiction and reality apart" is very important to better understand the context of certain things in today's world. But it's something that's not given the right importance yet. It's even fundamental to teach people since they're young to differenciate fiction from reality, and fiction not only in the "sexual aspect" (chikan, hentai, e tc), as it has very other dark stuff regarding very graphical violence, extreme horror, e tc. that if people started confusing it with reality it'd have awful consequences. I'd say it's related to, and just as important as having one's own thoughts/criteria on the things one reads or watches, instead of simply assimilating and accepting ideas one's exposed to.
@@alvinsmith3894 whoa stop right there with obvious ignorant of weeb. u think we have a gal to touch a woman. many is degenerate and pervert but u think true weeb willingly touch a woman, no we dont. there's different between culture and crime.
Yeah a lot of these western weebs fetishize asian women to the point they think these women are nothing but weak, submissive, childlike slaves with no sense of individuality . Anime forums are full of these neckbeards who justify this misogyny with excuses like "it's their culture" or "they like it" but ignore the fact how asian women suffer from these systems.
I like the fact that you smile a lot less in this video, which fits the serious topic you chose. A lot of youtubers may talk about serious and grave subjects, but don't know to tone down the cheerfulness they're used to display
Honestly it's frustrating how Japan's society is just a big vicious cycle of old beliefs and morals sticking tight, and because of these, nothing will change and things will stay the same, and stuff like this will just keep happening over and over again. And if you dare to be different, you will be shunned by the community. It just makes me very angry.
The bullying in Japan is just sickening. It's like that willful side eye you give someone as you whisper about them for no other reason than you noticed them.
Now this is a serious topic, you've seen it in anime and manga and that's certainly telling something. Awareness is really something that all people should have and speaking against this makes not only females but males who are against this too comfortable to be with other people
i agree. When watching Anime and or reading Manga. I used to think that these fictional girls are just unfair bullies. but now I think differently. but than again. some people are not even Safe in their own homes !
I wish they’d stop making assault pornos out of this. Rape isn’t and shouldn’t be marketed as sexy to people. It amazes me Japan can be so prudish about women’s enthusiastic pleasure but so depraved when it comes to catering to male centered fantasies.
@@marcorodriguez8792 violating someone’s consent (let’s be honest it’s mostly underaged girls being attacked so by most Japanese prefecture laws they can’t) isn’t a fetish. Normal degenerate’s fetishes are say bondage, impact play, heck even those ballon people. But guess what? Normal degenerates negotiate/discuss their kinks (even those non-con fetish folks will have prior discussions on no-go’s and safe words) with their partners beforehand, you don’t just randomly start doing a scene with someone. Clearly you have no knowledge on actual kink/fetish communities and practices.
Here's something even more disturbing. I'm a white woman who lived in Japan for two and a half years. I experienced chikan during my _first week_ there. When I turned around to confront my assailant, he quickly stopped and said (in Japanese), "I'm sorry. I thought you were Japanese." He'd apparently only seen the back of my head, so he couldn't tell I was a foreigner, but that also means he thinks Japanese women are okay with being molested. I took woman-only trains after that. Luckily I was able to do that, but a lot of railways in Japan still don't have woman-only train cars.
Dude here in my country , a two biker men suddenly forcefully kissed a lonely female walking on roadside and speeded fastly These video clip which was caught on cctv on shop nearby became viral on social media and nation wide criticism happened , the culprits were arrested or not i don't remember i think they're arrested
I'm very sorry for what I'm about to ask, I'm not trying to justify chikan in any way, I strongly believe it's a form of crime, however... I still can't resist asking if you know some japanese women who... who might like chikan. No, I'm not that kind of man who thinks the woman's "no" is actually "yes", I'm just thinking: I personally would LOVE to be touched in the train. I know women are very different from men but maybe, just maybe there're some women who kinda like chikan? Maybe some tiny minority, I don't know... Btw, no, I've never done anything similar, I'm not planning to do it - nothing like that. Just curious.
Thank you for this video. You deal with difficult subjects with sensitivity and intelligence . All cultures have problems and it is brave of you to discuss the problems, in a culture that you so clearly love.
When I lived in Japan, I found a way to never be mistakenly accused of chikan. I hold onto a hand ring or rail with one hand, and I put my other hand on my heart like I'm giving the pledge of allegiance. This way, both of my hands are always in view.
The anti-shikan badge is actually pretty clever, and it adds up to the theory of how most s/xual crimes are made more with the motivation to dominate someone who's helpless and defenseless just for the thrill of superiority more than s/xual arousal on its own These kind of tactics have been seen to work with a lot of types of s/xual crimes- whenever the aggressor sees that the victim is willing to put up a fight or visibly alert theyll probably lose interest, because they want an easy target, not a struggle- Its one of the reasons why women in general are also told to never walk and search their bag because theyll be an easy target or to yell and struggle as much as possible if someone grabs them with the intent of committing a s/xual crime on them, as chances are theyll let go way quicker to avoid trouble- granted i know that the latter goes against japanese culture, but it goes to show that the anti-shikan badge is a very smart combination of both concepts, not only do you avoid the struggle of making a scene, but it also turns off the creep on that appeal of "this person is entirely oblivious and helpless, so i can overpower them easily" So honestly props to that girl for being so clever
This relates to my post about young men and boys (even children) who are victims of chikan, because some men want to feel dominance over some other men and boys, because they feel they are lower level or made to feel embarrassed by their boss. It's a problem for boys too.
"and it adds up to the theory of how most s/xual crimes are made more with the motivation to dominate someone who's helpless and defenseless just for the thrill of superiority more than s/xual arousal on its own" Absolutely. It's almost certain that sexual crimes are driven by power, control, and mainly targets those that are easy to target. Not so much sexual obssession toward specific individuals.
One day I was doing a videocall with a long-time Japanese friend and I told her that another friend suffered from Chikan and more serious sexual assault and then she bursted into tears and her usual quiet mood changed to hysterical,asking me please to change the subject(which I did immediately).I didn't make any questions about it but I understood that she suffered from Chikan and my friend's story brought her bad memories.Sad to know that even my closest people were assaulted without any chance their reports can be heard.
Man, it's a very hard topic to address... congratulations for the courage to research and share something so dark from your society (and other countries as well). I hope that we all manage to find the solutions to abolish this thing soon!
It's shameful all over the world. People think you did something to warrant it or that it's your own fault for "allowing" it. I've even had colleagues (both genders) tell me this after I told them the man who was my boss and supervisor was harassing me. "Aren't you being too sensitive? You know how he acts around women"... If you bring it up, you're labeled as problematic and difficult to work with and depending on your job, it can mess up your career. I like to think things are improving, but it's a slow process.
This is going to be weird maybe but I'm happy to see his face was filled with disgust throughout whole video. I felt understood and validated. Thanks for bringing this issue to attention.
Seems to me that this is based in deeply rooted societal issues regarding sexism. Not taking women seriously as human people and laws not protecting them. Yes men can be assaulted but it's clearly a predominately female issue. It's sad but I hope more progress is made for everyone there
I just find it very ironic that the same men who don't take sexual harassment very seriously are the ones who become very overprotective of their daughters. It's as if raising a daughter makes them suddenly realize that women are human.
As a man with two younger sisters, this scares me to the core. Especially since one of my sister's and I really wanna go to Japan for a two week trip this year when the country opens up. But these incidents are literally in the back of my mind plaguing me Everytime I think of the trip. Thank you for the video!!! Much as gracias Don!
I’ve never been to Japan, but have been to South Korea, it happens there too. Our group had an almost 2 hour ride to the district we worked in, and 2 women were in our group, we’re all Americans. One morning a guy started to molest one of the females in our group and she started screaming at him, I (without even thinking about being in a Foreign Country) reacted……physically. The police were called, the man was arrested but I almost was arrested as well. I honestly think the only reason I wasn’t was I had told the Officers that I’m a US Army Veteran and had just reacted without thinking to defend a Coworker being attacked.
Thank you for this important video! In the podcast of „Abroad in Japan“ Chris told that, similar to you, almost every female friend of his have experienced chikan, too… and that is horrifying hearing that as a woman. But what me really baffled is how some police men even reacted when a foreigner actually reacts... In one story, a visitor became witness of a school girl being touched inappropriately looking extremely distressed and even mouthed „助けて“ so he jumped into action, grabbed this man, pulled him away and smashed him to the ground when he tried to escape or tried to fend him off (as far as I remember…) but when the police arrived they we‘re more concerned about this tourist who hurt a poor japanese man… instead of listening to why this even happened in the first place. I wonder why is that?
When I was in middle school I idolized Japan so much and wanted to live there super badly. But now that I've hear a lot more experiences about what the country is actually like, I've learned that it's really not this wonderful country where nothing bad ever happens. I'd still like to visit one day, but I've decided I don't want to live there anymore...
It's not just the pornography culture that promotes acts like these. Even in regular anime there's some really weird characters that are very openly perverted. Simple example from a well known, mainstream anime: Mineta from Boku no Hero Academia. In my eyes he's quite an extreme case, and while to me he is gross, he has quite a fanbase behind him who adore his character. He gets smacked around and punished for his behavior by the women, and the staff of the school are aware of his tendencies, but he is never reported, and the staff aren't ever seen taking action. Instead it is painted as something humorous. Also, the creator of the manga has stated that Mineta was created in his own image, and he openly admits to being a pervert. This sounds like it's something that he's actually proud of, why else would you openly admit to this to the public? While pornography already has a sexual tag to it, and you're willingly watching these to get exposed to certain topics, this is not the case for regular anime. The moments of perversion or harrassment are carefully sprinkled throughout the series, and happen on a regular basis. When these things happen in a regular setting, for example a school environment, it is easier to get into a mindset of 'oh it's really no big deal', or to believe that it is actually alright. I'm saying this as a lover of anime by the way. I'm not campaigning against anime in any way. I'm just trying to point out that it's not just the hentai that can cause issues. In any case I think it's mostly the individual who is commiting these acts who is the problem, rather than the media they're exposed to. So many people from around the world indulge in anime and also hentai, and so many of those would never lay a hand on someone else against their will. If these perverts choose to at on things that they've seen on television or the internet or wherever, then to me that indicates an issue with that person's mindset in particular, not the entire media. Anyways... thanks for the video. I hope some sort of solution can be found somewhere in a near future. In the meantime: be strong, girls. Crush their family jewels if you have to.
I remember how comics/anime i watch affected my perception of stuff like comedy as a child. It was why i thought hitting other people is funny and did exactly so lol. Having perverted characters in media so openly is kinda dangerous to the kids.
@@StonerSquirrel thats literally what their comment is about? they said peoples MINDSETS is what create characters like mineta and what urges them to relate to him (because they are also nasty perverts) maybe read the comment next time instead because they also said that they weren't campaigning against anime
I mean at multiple points he nearly gets killed for it nearly got drowned and if we’re going to be treating his body realistically he would definitely be dead from falling off a 30 foot height which he was pushed off
That is awful. Women everywhere seem to constantly have to struggle for being seen as people. My job (counseling) would be so much easier if the people committing these assaults had to feel what their victims do.
Japan's Chikan problem is so serious that even train stations have signs to warn others about Chikan. Also, innocent men on the train are sometimes worried they'd be mistaken as Chikan.
@@ouicertes9764not really because instead of doing all of that useless crap, they need to capture and humiliate the chikan and deliver him to the police. To bad Japan's justice system is trash and just to keep harmony they will release the chikan.
As someone who will eventually be teaching English in Japan, I am legitimately nervous of catching this happen in real time. I do not think I would be able to stop myself from stepping in and putting the molester in their place. I know japan doesn't take kindly to physical intervention with things such as this and how the police can hold you up to a month's worth at a time if you are a foreigner.
I think it's important to keep in mind the level of physical intervention. If it's possible, put yourself between the culprit and the victim, creating a physical barrier. Even if you are vocal, others might turn a blind eye, but try anyways. If there are others willing to help, you can try to apprehend the culprit together without escalating to violence. Worst case scenario, you stop the criminal but he gets away - but you saved someone. Best case scenario, you and the others get the man and victim to the police. It's important the victim comes because, as Shogo pointed out, that is necessary for the investigation. If you can take photo evidence of the criminal before you act, that increases the chance the criminal will be arrested when you turn him in. The most important thing to remember is to have a plan BEFORE this happens so you know exactly what you want to do.
Don't listen to the person in the comments, do NOT beat the chikan. Japan has very strict laws and you can get sent to jail or deported if you react with any amount of physical violence. If it's possible, always take the female train car, always have a friend with you, and avoid crowded train cars if you can. The sardine cars are not as common outside of big cities, so it's less of a worry for you if you're not traveling at peak hour. I know from personal experience not all trains have a female-only car and that they only run at certain times, and that it isn't always possible to have a friend with you at all times, but if you feel comfortable/safe, there are police kobans all around and could potentially help you at least deter a chikan.
There should be cameras in trains and every train should have a women only section. Also women police officers should be issued pants and shoes. Who thought heels for a police officer? 🤦♂️
There are women only train cars now. Saw another commenter mention it, and I googled it to check, its true, and they also exist in south America, particularly Brazil.
I agree totally with regard to female police officer attire. How much cameras can see in very crowded carriages is open to question, although it would not hurt, and trains are not going to be crowded all of the time. I am rather reticent about women only carriages, not least because it implies that women should be seated separately from menfolk, even potentially members of their own family and circle of friends. In fact, it seems in many ways to justify the view in some Arab countries that segregation of the sexes in all public spheres is the only way to protect women. It also would only make very crowded trains even more crowded for those fewer carriages where men are permitted to travel.
@@Ice_2228 Are there men only trains? How about JP only and white only trains? What about long hair only and short hair only? Segregation by height and weight as well? Even better why would anyone ever get on a Gov funded train? Have we learned nothing from history? You're all getting played by lies and attention seekers. If anything men in JP are avoiding women more than any other demographic of men on Earth. Hence the attention seeking. And seriously you want more creeps spying on you with cameras? What a strange world you normies have manufactured. Segregating yourselves and wanting to be spied on by the authorities who want to control every little aspect of your life.
@@tokiwartooth4404 you seem very paranoid. Having women only train cars is not segregation because they are not mandetory. It is just an available option for women, they are not required to use the women's cars, therefore there is no segregation. Its an option and women have the choice to use it or not use it. There are many things that are women only, like girlscouts, boarding schools, restrooms, saunas/spas, and the same goes for men. Its nothing new, it's not segregation. The train cars are for the benefit of women and you are acting like it is oppressing them, when in reality they can choose to simply use a general population car if they don't want to use the women's car. I think you are far too paranoid about this matter, these train cars are nothing more than an optional convenience for women who feel vulnerable.
Even that I love japan, I’m a manga and anime fan, but from those two it’s clear that Japan is misogynistic country. And it’s really sad.I’m from Morocco, we have packed trains and buses, but if someone touch you and you just say a word , everyone around will beat that person and not ask him but push him out in the next station.
This is the central mystery to me - how a country with such a strong idea of morals and harmony - on the surface - can be so immoral regarding equality and sexual crime, with so many examples of extreme sexuality. With yet another brilliant, pedagogic video, you have explained how this has happened very well I think. I think Chikan is very related also to the subgroup of 'Upskirting', which is I believe also widespread. Again, women as objects for naive / frustrated / ignorant men. I am sure it is also related to another phenomenon, Hikikomori
i just want to say thank you for making these videos about these horrible things. the more information about it & the more aware people are hopefully more laws etc will become more strict to help the victims from this crime
The problem is the Japanese mentality toward these things. I'm from Holland. If we see those things the majority of us especialy men would probably beat the molester up. And if the cops catch the perp then he would be brought to justice. That's why it rarely or never happens in overcrowded trains here. It would be much more likely on the empty late trains. Also women over here don't feel less then men in the social higharchy perse. Alot of the women would speak out, hit or push someone. Alot has to do with the culture.
You forgot to mention here in Netherlands, we have other kind of sexual predatory related problem here with lover boys. Albeit luckily at much lower scale than chikan incidents in Japan. But yeah, culture does differ as here if you would yell for help in any crowded place, someone will rise to the need. Which often sets example for others to do the same. Social control is much more present here, helped by the fact people grew up here generally learning to be outspoken about their opinion.
@@lmuhoja honestly, it’s just teenage pimps. They fool teenage girls into liking them with gifts and love bombing, and after a while start pimping them out. I think it’s been a thing for a bit now, but society was really surprised so it keeps being brought up every couple of years.
Awesome job, Shogo. Another one of Japan's rising issues that need to be addressed aggressively instead of being brushed under the rug to save face and 'preserve tradition'. Hopefully the government is revitalised sooner than later and embraces much needed change.
I was stationed in Japan a few years ago and a friend and I went to Comiket and were in cosplay. I'm an average looking American girl but this one guy decided he wanted to try me. I panicked when he touched me and my instincts went into flight or fight mode and because of my self defense training, I ended up laying him out in the middle of the train. It happened so fast and I was just.... wtf dude... and he got up and walked to a different train car. I'm guessing he was going to try it out since its hard enough to report the sexual assault, and with a non fluent Japanese speaker, it would be next to impossible. I hope he never touched anyone after me... because I'm not sure how many others would do the same...
Actually it’s the opposite. From all the stories I’ve read (including here in the comments) the perverts actually avoid western women since they tend to be more outspoken and confrontational. You absolutely did the right thing, but Japanese culture conditions their women to be too timid.
This reminds me of the anime Ore Monogatari. I always thought that it was an unlikely situation and just a plot device for the anime. Thanks for bringing this awareness to us.
I’m American, and occasionally had to deal with the inappropriate touching on buses in college. There wasn’t really anything to do, and they could just say it was an accident. But what was worse was in food service was that older managers would sometimes touch or slap us and there wasn’t really anything we could do. So, I’ve known about chikan in Japan since college, and I feel for anyone accosted that way. It’s great that those badges may be helping people!
@@paisanoarbr no one is safe in the service industry The amount of times I've been touched, grabbed, rubbed (with hands and/or breasts, had sexual questions thrown my way, been literally chased by managers, or had other people's hands go down my shirt, is to numerous to count. I get it from men and women, married and unmarried. I tried to report it once at one of my earlier jobs when I was 20. Girl literally started a rumor that I impregnated her and was intimidating my other coworkers (I was in a relationship and a virgin) and the ladies in HR laughed it off and told me that "I liked it" Haven't reported anything since at any of my jobs. Not to mention HR calls are never anonymous even when they claim to be and most of the time management is a fraternity so it feels a tad pointless Edit: I'm also straight and present as straight. So the ridiculous amount of male sexual harassment is mind boggling to me and at times, rage inducing depending on how far they take it
This happened to my daughter as a hostess at a restaurant. It’s just terrible. I am still working on justice. We certainly have our own sets of issues here, but I think women all over the world need to stick together to protect each other! They need us to continue the human species 🙌🏼
Your content is very informative and matter a fact. It really puts things into perspective for those people who love Japan on a base level; and either want to travel there or live. It's a breath of fresh air to hear someone from Japan address these cultural phenomenal, better or worse. Awesome content.
Brother, I'm very grateful that you've invested time and effort to share your findings with the rest of us. I quietly weep for the current seeming state of humanity. So many systems need to change in order to allow the flourishing of most people and so much holistic baggage to be shed before it can be done. Once we're informed, it's easier to know how to prepare. Peace.
In Mexico City we also have woman only carts, but it's not always possible to fit in peak hours. One time I was riding on a regular cart, a guy started touching me, I looked around to find another space, the men around obviously saw what was going on but ignored it. A teenage girl then tapped my shoulder and made space for me to move away. I was so grateful to her, but also really mad, not only at the guy touching me, but at the other adult men that didn't even bother making space for me.
When you mentioned that you will protect your daughters, I literally imagine you going after chikan with a katana in your hand. Now, my suggestions: The government should push for police officers to be posted in the stations, especially during rush hours. In non-rush hour periods, they can ride the trains and try to spot and deter chikan. Have them wear normal clothing so that it's easier to approach the chikan without them noticing. However, we need more mold to be broken and more people to take initiative to change the culture so that there is lesser ideal environment for criminal acts to be committed. It's reassuring to see that more and more people are going against the social norms and standing up for their own rights; we should encourage them and lend them support so that, hopefully, the society could be restructured years down the road.
I have seen the portrayal of chikan in anime and manga, but I just thought it was a trope. I didn't realize how rampant it really was. As a woman who has 5 daughters, this is terrifying to me. I am so heartbroken to think of those children who feel so hopeless, and scared to speak out. I really hope that some reforms are put in place to bring awareness and show how damaging it is to anyone experiencing this. Thank you for shining a light on the subject and educating us.
Thank you for being willing to attack this difficult topic Shogo. Bringing awareness and creating dialogue are two very powerful ways to fight this behavior. Thank you for being a champion for these girls and women.
As a young woman moving to Japan next summer to continue my studies there, I'll be sure to get a chikan badge! My friends and family are afraid for me, since I already am SA survivor...
I lived in Tokyo for a year and this happened often. Didn't matter what time of day, what I was wearing, what part of Tokyo I was in, etc. I also heard stories from some of my female high school students of what they had to deal with on a near daily basis. I was told by many Japanese women that sometimes it's best not to react to train molestation, because you would be bothering the public. If you stay quiet only the victim is bothered, which is more "considerate" to the public.
I’ve experienced molestation/chikan in other countries (I’ve never been to Japan but I do want to go there sometime). I’m a fairly tall woman (5’11) and most of the creeps were bellow my height so it was a lot easier to fend off. What I usually do is take a picture from over my shoulder with the flash, it gets their attention and gets them to look up before either elbowing them on the chest or the stomach for them to leave me alone and if they stil don’t want to, I kick them in the tibia and cause a scene to get people’s attention and get him off me. I’ve been touched inappropriately about 12 times now, first case happened when I was 12. Stay safe, bring a taser if you feel like you need it and just be prepared to confront them
It's good to protect yourself. But even better to protect others. Try to be aware of your surroundings. Look at what other passengers on the train are doing. If you see some guy fondling a woman who is freezing up, do the right thing. Stand up, call it out, go up to the victim and offer your support. These perverts won't fight you. They are cowards by default, and their methods show it.
@@linkskywalker5417 No they won't. Because if they had the spine for a confrontation, they wouldn't engage in this kind of behaviour. They are obviously afraid of getting caught, which is why they prefer using a method where if they are found out they can just excuse it by blaming it on how crowded the train is. These perverts clearly require a safety net in their methodology, and people who are willing to engage in a stand-up fight don't. Because they are not adverse to risk.
thank you for making this video. I have heard of this many times and most of my female Japanese friends have been through this act and this is very useful to them and me. I feel like now the woman only trains are safe for them and me. I really do appreciate this video it did give me a rather better understanding. I am kind of young and my Japanese friends are rather older than me so this is very useful for me to keep safe in the future and better understanding
Its likely because there isn't enough done to prevent it. If they don't get caught or punished its more they are more likely to continue doing it. More turning them in/calling it out as it happens is part of it. The other is law inforcement needs to prosecute it strictly. Without Consequence it is more likely to happen and more likely the person will repeat the act.
This is disturbing, the woman's story that she's molested on the train, where some people saw and knew what's happening but didn't even help her. I can't image the trauma she might have felt. Your train 'incidents' there are training grounds for possible future rapists.
thank you for making this video! i’ve never heard of a chikan badge before but i’m glad you talked about it! spreading knowledge about this will definitely help people be safer on trains in japan
I live in America (Connecticut), but seeing this is still really nice. It helps to have men call this out too. Most men, I think, listen to other men more. I'm a woman (twenty-eight), but I'm tall (5'7 and a quarter or a little over 170cm), so I think that's why a lot of girls and women who are much shorter than I am have a harder time with sexual harassment. Many other girls and women I know are more afraid of taking Lyfts by themselves, walking outside, etc. and get a lot of harassment where I feel like I only ever get it every so often and by teen boys (so I'm not as scared, as many of them have been scrawny) or I deal with scammers when I go to Manhattan. I also usually walk around with my twin sister, so some of the guys around us who are creepy have been shorter and that seems to throw them off. I see them go for more for shorter girls and women and, if they are not white especially, (I'm white.) women and girls of color (like black girls and darker Latina girls).
Thank you so much for explaining Shikan. I feel very relaxed when I asked you personally about this situation on DM 😌🙏
Thank you for addressing this subject yourself too!
To be honest, The person accused to be the molester has to be proven guilty before anything. People can just hit the police up and accuse an innocent person they dont like.
It's CHIKAN not Shikan.
@@Sol_Badguy_GG yes i know, i tried to edit it but it wont let me do it
@@supergobgoblin424 Commie?! Dude, its 2021! Update your verbal abuse ! Still back in the 1950s, eh?
Reactions aren't always "fight or flight". Freezing is also an instictive reaction to situations where someone feels scared or uncomfortable. If someone freezes, that DOES NOT mean that they want or approve of whatever's happening.
Exactly
true, some people freeze, some people fight, honestly I hope most of us would go for the latter because freezing wont do any justice, neither would fighting but it's better
Then explain me what would their reaction during a raping situation? I think that is really stupid
@@Microbit0 freeze, or pathetically try to flee, japanese girls aren't known for their wits. On the other hand Eastern Europeans carry ceremonial daggers in their pants for some reason
This is a scientifically proven phenomenon now, so hopefully the Japanese police force will adopt this into the procedures soon.
I love how you're brave enough to speak about the problems in Japan that is not spoken about in other countries, specially the West. We got the idea that Japan is this perfect utopia and this videos are so helpful to see that is just a country like any other. I want to go live to Japan some day, I hope, so this really helps me to get ready to anything I can encounter there.
Basically, there are 4 types, how the West portrays JP:
- JP is soo weird
- JP is soo creative
- JP is soo modern
- JP is soo perverted
@@riton349 you should see how JP's asian neighbors portray JP
@@riton349 Don't forget two more important types:
- JP is so polite (well, at least tatemae ;-))
- JP is so cuuuute, or just scream KAWAIIIIII. :p
Many people don’t see the dark side of each country and places because they refuse or chose not to see it, people say Japan is a perfect utopia but in reality, social norms can easily harm the individual and I’m talking about japan’s hikikomori problems and disappearing people, also their work culture especially office jobs are pretty toxic if you ask me. If you listen most of the songs from Japan, there will usually be a reference to their culture and their experiences.
But that doesn’t mean this country sucks, there’s way worse places than Japan regardless.
@@Shibagaesski Watching lots of videos on social issues can definitely be helpful and Shogo surely does a very good approach, professional, fact based, often with a respectful smile. 👍🙂
I also really like Asagi's Life. But for me, the channel of Nobita was most helpful so far. Yesterday's video "Why Dating is Hard in Japan" was really an eye opener about tatemae and honne. Of course I knew the concept and it's benefits in a group based society. But I realised that I often have missed the hints that were dropped.
Darkside of Japan Yuki is also interesting to watch.
Edit: typos 😉
Hearing that female officer's story made my blood boil. I don't know if I should be more angry at the groper or the fact that it was treated it as if it were her fault.
As if it was her fault.
Hell, why not both?
This is destessingly common occurrence with sexual harassment and assault, and not just in Japan. Victim blaming is almost a bigger problem than the assaults themselves and is a huge contributor to why they are so underreported world wide.
This sort of thing used to frustrate me as well... but we must not let our judgments of how we believe she ought to have responded distract from what's important. It might be easier, for us as onlookers, to understand the circumstance if she were more comfortable being outspoken, but even if she is cripplingly self-conscience or insecure that's ok. The situation calls for high-levels of respect, so as to counter the high-level of disrespect associated with sexual crime.
But women are just as strong right😑
My friend was groped by a Japanese Salaryman on the Chuo line in Tokyo. She kneed him in the balls. The police were called and made her apologise to him for embarrassing him. You couldn’t make up the level of bigotry against foreigners Japan had in the 00’s.
Jesus Christ what scumbags
I know hindsight is 20/20, especially in a traumatic situation like that, but could your embassy not at least be contacted in a situation like that? Are they not there to protect the legal rights of their citizens abroad? (Let's be real, it only applies to diplomats and celebrities)
@@liammeech3702 they don’t want to lose their “ally” causing a “bad image”.
But we’ll, some young men chikan just for fun... I know some latinoamerican who thought it was fun, even in their countries and having small sisters, they still think fun.
I'm surprised that Japan hasnt fixed this problem of trains, they've had decades to develop this. All it takes is have to enough space for passengers to be able to see others clearly. The country complains about decline in population but cant even compensate for their current population, where are they even spending their money? entertainment industry?
Politicians
The fact the Female Officer Uniform involves a tight skirt and heels is baffling. It's like they don't expect Female Officers to be in situations where you need to move quickly or do anything physically taxing.
Some police officers have your everyday desk jobs.
@@bennymountain1 Still it seems extremely impractical given their line of work.
it certainly paints a clear view that they dont expect women to be able to do much.
Alot of thought goes into police uniforms, don't underestimate the guberment on this issue. In less violent societies, this dress code is normal because more emphasis is placed on the image of the state rather than practical necessity. If you will encounter a hard core criminal once every 10years then militarising the police is overkill and frightens the citizenry unnecessarily but if you just deal with petty or similar small crimes then imagery of the state takes precedence because it assures the citizenry all is well and the guberment is functioning so well, it can afford to look pretty and impractical.
@@dragulamcfeisty199 This makes sense. People in the US often complain that the police force has become too militaristic, and it causes unrest among the population.
Maybe there is a compromise, though. There I'm sure there are classy woman's shoes that don't prevent running like high heels do.
The worst thing I've ever heard was when a friend of mine told me about one of his friends going on a trip to Japan specifically to molest girls on trains, because it's "normal" there. You need to be a special kind of weird and out of touch to think that way.
Wtfffff
Sussy baka 😳
Why is your friend's friend still allowed to be near society?
Yikes. Hope that is a former friend now :(
@@Sincerely.Nature me, I'm the friend he's talking about
I had been molested on a train in Sgp. I shouted at him and took a photo of him and lodged a Police report
Women should not keep silent. They ought to be exposed !
Sgp?
Singapore i believe. We take molestation quite seriously here
I'm so sorry this happened to you. Hope you are safe now In Sha Allah. You are very brave indeed.
That is the right aditude.
The problem is in Japan sexual harrassment and sexual exploitation are usually brushed off by the authorities. I still remember reading an article of a very famous idol there that was assaulted by two guys in front of her house yet the management forced her to apologize for speaking out. The two assailant never get caught.
I've lived in Japan for 20 years and was surprised to learn about this. I had a girlfriend before who told me she had 2 incidents. Once was in a crowded train where she couldn't move. Someone behind her continually kept rubbing her private parts. The second incident was as people were exiting the train someone grabbed her butt.
Another problem is that if happens, as he pointed is that this happens when you reach a station or the person is able to exit the train easily. A friend of mine was on a train witnessed a woman getting molested by a man sitting in the seat next to her. She kept trying to push him off and crying out "Dame!" (Don't!). All of the Japanese on the train ignored her cries for help. My friend (from South America) got up and grabbed the man and pulled him out of the seat screaming at him. About a minute later the train reached a station and the man quickly ran out of the train and out of the station. He told the woman he would go with her to file a report (most stations have cameras), but the woman declined saying she would be late for work.
Another thing you can do is get an alarm. My daughter has one of these. Most school children have these. It hangs from her backpack and if you have any trouble you pull the bottom half off setting off a shrieking alarm.
Where do you buy the alarm?
@@re-1k Where ever school supplies are sold in Japan. Every school kid has one.
I will be frank. In my country (Poland), if someone would try to play such dangerous games here, there's a high chance that the perpetrator will be "politely" asked to leave the cart and will be given a free-of-charge face reconstruction (or rather deconstruction) surgery before being given to the authorities.
I also live in Poland and confirm that we don't tolerate gross indecency in trains.
Or the other round depending on who your dealing with lmao
Mad respect. Thats the kind of attitude I like!
in Amsterdam, the perp would probably be protected. Especially if he's a muslim as they are a protected class and can do pretty much whatever they want without consequences.
After all, the woman "was asking for it by not dressing modestly" and "it's part of their culture and we should not judge that".
It's disgusting, but that's how things work in the Netherlands now, and especially in the big cities.
Iv heard some Good things about Poland how is it?
As a young exchange student in Japan, it took me a while to realize that when the train went around curves, and Japanese men “fell” against me, ti was a form of chikan-there was no reason for them to lose their balance if they’d braced themselves, and a blonde Californian was a rarity on the trains. So I watched for curves, braced my feet firmly, and braced my elbows out, making a sort of “spike” aimed toward the nearest male train passengers. Suddenly, each and every salaryman knew how to brace themselves so as not to fall against me on the train...!
You gotta be late 30s from the look of that p4p sunshine 💀☠💀☠☠☠☠☠☠☠
@@stanielsoncoochiesmellehsm6114 rude and unnecessary.. do better.
@@stanielsoncoochiesmellehsm6114 uhhh what’s your point
She said when she was young dude 😭😭😭
Nice one girl! XD
I’m glad they have female only cars to help solve this issue. It’s pretty embarrassing that you have to create such a solution but it’s the assaulters fault to begin with.
I didnt know this but I'm glad to hear it
Its more a failing of society that its gotten so big. Tho obviously the assaulters are part of the problem but the entire society has set them up for success.
@@onyxgrnr666 yeah blaming the victims for something the assaulter did.
The sad part is, that even guys get harassed by pervs. Especially the pretty boys.
It's not even enough carts to meet the population.
When I was a young man I assisted my instructor in teaching self-defense to girls in private schools, one of the biggest hurdles was getting them to fight back. Once they gained some self-confidence they were able to respond much better.
Around that point in my first month of teaching, I realized self-confidence and remaining in mental control of yourself was 90% of the message the girls needed to learn, not just for self-defense but for helping them through many aspects of their future lives. I understand how the Japanese culture would make this so much harder for young women there.
I think giving off a vibe of self confidence also helps prevent being a victim in the first place. That's basically why the badges are working - if you have the confidence to wear a badge about what is a pretty taboo subject in Japan, most chikan are going to steer clear.
Unfortunately, it isn’t just a matter of confidence. It is normal to react with shock. Many sa victims freeze in order to avoid the situation. It is an automatic reaction. Psychologically. That’s why it is so cruel to ask „why didn’t you react?“.
Self-defense means nothing to a samurai
@@chiara1347obviously if you're not trained you'll react with shock that's why you should train some sort of self defence. It's crazy that so few women train anything just to be to scared to move when it's time for the reaction.
@@Matt-bp5vyIssue it is not a matter of training, women in the military often get abused.
You cannot get rid of a physical reaction your body has due to chemicals.
There are methods to calm yourself down, however that takes time.
This is why victims are so common, there is no way to calm down fast enough.
I know because I have rehabilitation behavioural therapy for panic attacks.
This is such a serious issue, and one I have such a hard time to wrap my head around. As someone from Hungary, we don't have very serious laws against this either. Someone sexually harassing women is not very likely to be punished by the laws, but actually very likely to be punished by the public. We don't have too many incidents because it is not uncommon for men like these to be beaten up.
I have personal experiences with men trying to feel me up on an overpacked bus in the morning rush, but when I turned around and yelled at him that if he touches me again I'm gonna break his nose, the whole bus agreed with me on that (an old lady started a whole rant about how he should be ashamed of himself and how his mom must be ashamed of him too, and several other people threatened him with violence too if he touched anyone). He got off at the next stop, absolutely humiliated. Of course nobody thought to call the police because they would have been completely useless. But the public isn't. And I think that is the difference. But I cannot imagine anybody's gut reaction not being to yell and/or to hit the perpetrator...
I have moved to the UK since then and honestly, morning rush hour looks exactly the same on the London underground. Yet I have never been molested on an overcrowded train. It is way more likely to happen at night on the last trains, when there's barely anyone around. I did have to give a man like that a punch in the face once, but interestingly, here, everyone asked me if I wanted to press charges. I ended up declining, but at least there was an option here for prosecution. Not exactly perfect but at least there are some laws in the UK against sexual harassment.
I really think this is an issue where the public opinion is the most important part. You could fix laws, or overtime at work, or make safe trains only for women, but at the end of the day the issue is public opinion. That somehow the one who should be ashamed is the victim and not the perpetrator. I think that's the part that needs fixing first of all...
Really great video btw!! I'm really glad that you talked about this issue, and the way you explain things makes me understand these problems a bit more from the Japanese perspective.
What you wrote is unfortunately entirely subjective and my experience in Hungary is vastly different. Men are not just rubbing against women on packed buses or trams, but do surprise butt slaps out of the blue, then flee. Out in the open in the middle of the day. And don't get me started with the cat-callers. Sure if it is witnessed and the guy is caught they get yelled at. That's about it.
I think some people lack a base respect for women and don't see them as equals to men but more sexual objects and entertainment for men and don't see that victim blame is an issue. I think that's the biggest problem with it. No one speaks up and makes a scene. I think this happens everywhere but is especially an issue in Japan.
@@beekah992 It's nothing to do with respect, those dudes are just horny and desperate.
@@Namefist11 clearly humanitarian aid doesn’t include -handjobs- … yet. 😂
@@Crux161 ???
The joke went over my head, can you explain it?
It's never easy to discuss the bad things in your culture. So thank you.
This is a scary kind of crime. The lack of a unified taskforce or unilateral legislation to protect people, or victim-friendly police is a real problem.
It all goes back to the traditional hierarichal society which places the man above the woman. That is ingrained deeply and is at the root of many fucked up things but what it causes are not seen as real problems and are not treated as such.
welkl you cut the man's hands off and or women only cars. oh wait you do that.
I actually experienced indecent assault on a train in Australia. It's so hard to speak out. I almost felt like I could pretend it wasn't happening if I didn't say anything or try to stop it. It took me some time to work up the courage but I yelled at him in front of everyone on the train. Super embarrassing. But he went to prison, and the police officers later praised me for how I handled the situation, as a number of other girls came forward with similar stories. He only got eighteen months though lol wtf.
Well deserved (for you)
@Barbara This was in Australia. He also had multiple victims testify, and I think they had evidence from my clothes and the train security cameras. He plead guilty too, so I guess he got less time for that too. The case was big enough that I didn't need to testify either.
any time is better than none
@@frank_calvert good point!
I think 18 months is quite a lot/sufficient for groping (if that's what you experienced). But maybe that's internalised misogyny speaking.
A friend of mine from India told me this happened a lot when she was a teen. She and her friends carried extra safety pins attached to their garments. They would open the pin on the train and jab a touchy perpetrator. My friend said the men were usually shocked at the retaliation and then embarrassed that they had been caught.
This is why understanding the difference between fiction and reality is so important that can lead you a different way of thinking, which I think Japan needs to change its system and develop some better one's so that the problem can be solved in today's society in order to prevent Chikan incidences. BTW, the high-school girl who invented the school batches of Anti-Chikan were quite effective and I do hope that others in Japan take this young high school girl with talents improve their country for the better in future. Great educational video as always Shogo, keep on coming and hopefully you'll get a million subscribers soon.
or just make bigger trains.
@@fffwe3876 that's a good idea too.
@@fffwe3876 easier said then done.
YEAHHHHH IT IS COMMON IN JAPANNNN
THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION SHOGOOO
As a woman who wants to travel to Japan, but has always been afraid of something like this happening to me, I really appreciate you bringing light to this issue. I’ve never seen anyone give ways of preventing it from happening so thank you for sharing this information ☺️
Not trying to be rude, those jerks don't dare to go near foreigner women, since Japanese women are "submissive"(atleast in theory) they are more subject to it.
@@your_name96 no worries, you’re not being rude! And I’ve heard a few people say that too, but I’ve also heard of many foreign women being harassed too, mostly because the guys assume the foreigners can’t speak Japanese and defend themselves. I guess it’s a matter of how bold the jerk is. Either way, it’s still a really unfortunate reality of being in japan
I'd say.. avoid crowded trains. With a lot more people, it's so much easier for 'em to get away with it because you wouldn't be able to tell who touched you o-o (of course not to say it wouldn't happen if less crowded, but a lot less likely). And stay alert. Hope you do visit some day! Worth it :3
@@your_name96 that isn't true. There's an American RUclipsr (I forgot her name) who documented her stay in Japan and unfortunately was molested/SA on her way back to her apartment from school. She spoke about her ordeal with the Japanese police & how they didn't help at all to put her attacker/stalker away. It can and will happen to any woman it seems, & foreigners are targeted too because it's harder for us to file a report in Japan.
@@AiyameXi I see, I didn't know about these kind of incidents...I always used to think foreign women in japan are less subjected to harassment due to their "active"/confrontational nature as compared to the typical passive conflict-avoiding japanese women.
"There are some men who believe these fiction settings to be true...."
Oh Shogo, not only men, people on twitter think that way too.
Those are People?
@@paulghencea9037 Depends on those that identify themselves as one. Others... Not so sure.
- Sun Tzu
-The art of war
Sun Tzu once said:
The Opportunity of Touching Somebody squirt
Is Provided by the Trains themselves
- Sun Tzu The Art of Wars
A consequence of centuries of dehumanising women and girls. A problem in many countries. Thank you Shogo for your honest and sensitive discussion.
It’s going to resolve itself eventually.
"loli" is another issue that more people should talk about I think too.
This is a world wide problem.
@@Noa-g1ex Not necessarily, in America and Britain it’s the opposite, but in Asia, South America, and some European countries (Turkey), you’re right.
@@Noa-g1ex In eveloped nations, No, not on the scale as Japan.
My wife is from a small town in Japan called Maizuru . We went and visited her parents last year and she wanted to avoid taking trains because of PTSD she had growing up . I reassured her that she was safe with me ( I’m 6’8 215 pounds ) and that nobody would try any creep stuff . Once we got off she told me multiple stories about sexual encounters she had as a child that she was never able to speak out against . Your videos give me a deeper understanding of the hierarchy and everything she went through . Thank you .
They should have women officers do the victim interviews and encourage prosecution to protect others.
@@ExtremeMan10 Those g-darn femenists, groping themselves and then blaming it on men 😡
in Brazil they added this part on domestic violence were once the case is reported the state becomes the accuser and the case cant be abandoned even if the victim want, of course for a different reason, as in case of domestic violence the agressor usually gets worse after the victim goes to the police and if the case is abandoned it usually leads to murder
@@ExtremeMan10 That's a lot of words for, "The issue at hand doesn't really matter that much to me, but man, I sure do hate misandrists, leading to me lumping in average women with self worth and wanting to be equal to wanting to ruin men's lives." Really though dude, this issue does relate to that, but it takes away the importance of how much things like this really need to stop. I do agree with you the punishment should 100% be more harsh, though, it's not the time to talk about literal crazy people who frame others for crimes.
@@ExtremeMan10 I'm with u on that brother ✊
A special victims unit with trained professionals! Yup!
The part of "Women can't speak up" gives me a better understanding on what happened to ELISA and the sexual harassment that her manager did to her up to the point where the authority said that it was the same/mutual pleasure shared and not considered as Sexual Harassment.
Thank you so much, Shogo.
There are four rules for Sexual Contact:
1. Consent
2. Timing
3. Location
4. CONSENT!!!!
They are only three rules tho
You put consent twice
CONSENT!
Y'all taking the joke too seriously
I'm willing to drop timing and location, btw
Back when i was like 16, my seniors used to said to me like “Japan is a paradise for men but not for women” or something like that, at first i thought it was a joke but i realized they didn’t even laugh. Now i’m older and I lived in Japan, I am now understand what is going on
Can you tell me what's going on??
@@puneethj3633 it's a utopia for sexual predators and not the prey, that's what they are saying
@@puneethj3633 I think something is going on
*Your senior was creepy af, men don't dream of doing stuff like this to women*
@@__________Troll__________ nah they arent crazy they are warning females of the predators and mamy men want to do that
Why would anyone see someone that was sexually harassed as a pervert? And why does chikan sometimes get seen as no big deal, but other times people get arrested for it on the spot?
It is likely due to one of these two hypotheses, but could be due to something else. the belief that if a woman gets assaulted, then she was asking for it by the way she dressed or acted. It’s an idea that has eroded in the West in the wake of thigg by a like MeToo, but is still pretty standard in other parts of the world. It may also be due to the porn industry- lots of sexual acts, regardless of whether you are the perp or victim are considered lewd. So to even partake in those acts is considered a perversion.
Japan values harmony the most. It just sucks that you have to close your eyes in order to believe it exists
@@MasterOfBaiter Why does it care about harmony so much more than other countries? I've read that they did long ago to survive and the culture stayed, but many countries used to be even more dangerous to live on and people didn't act like Japan.
@@waleedkhalid7486 But people dressed totally normally for Japan still get groped. Also, how would someone being the victim be a pervert? That's like ancient Greek with people that are raped being considered defiled, as if one's status as a person is not at all influenced by their own actions, but what others to do them.
@@kingchickenwing4887 the common theory is natural selection. Japan is an island plagued by natural disasters. Coexistence and hegemony are very important to maintain a group that can work together efficiently. I assume because this worked in the past they perpetuated this system till the modern day. No time of Japan was truly peaceful and without crime so the cracks were there already but with the explosion of population and urbanisation it's just more noticeable
I used to live in London, I would be on packed tubes/buses/trains every day, and although sexual assault is a major problem here, I’ve never heard of it happening on busy public transport - much more likely when you are by yourself with an assaulter because if there are other people around, they will speak out and physically threaten the person - it’s awful that in a country like Japan no one would do anything, it’s scary!
@curiousitykilledthecat9933 - I grew up in and lived in London, daily travelling by packed tube trains, in the mid 1980s to late 1990s. Being s*xually harassed or s*xually assaulted was a daily occurrence for me, at least once per train, my journey often needing me to change to different lines, for it to happen on there too. People never intervened - not even when men were openly m*sturbating - preferring to ignore it was happening. These were white smartly dressed British businessmen that were committing such obscene acts or doing the groping.
Girlie, a man raped a woman in public in London metro and people didn't even react. The UK has a huge problem of men who rape women.
@@anitarogers28771980’s were literally 40 years ago. That’s a bit of a stretch to say here in the UK is just as bad based on your experiences from 1980
I am glad you are addressing this issue, but I hope that RUclips doesn’t demonetize this. They have a habit of doing that to videos that talk about ‘controversial’ topics.
He can always through anti- cultural stigma back at the elites... wouldn't want to marginalize the lived experiences of people of color, would they...? Also MeToo...?
Taking off my cynical political lenses now. In all seriousness though, this is a serious topic that should be discussed. If RUclips can't get behind supporting that, in this extremely informative yet respectful way, then they are on the side of rug sweeping for molesters and chikan predators. Don't be that way RUclips. Age restrict if you must (even though it's an issue faced by children and teens as well), but don't hurt Shogo in the pocketbook for discussing and creating a sounding board for awareness and brainstorming.
@@Undomaranel they better not, because online platforms are getting a little tolerant of molesters, but treat critical analysts with different opinions like trash. We need social awareness about these sensitive topics and should be it that way so such crimes and incidents can be prevented in the future.
Nah, all he has to do is talk bad about white guys, and RUclips will leave him alone.
Not to worry. If a video has to do with women’s issues, the thought police at YT are onboard.
RUclips is no longer the way that we use to know in general nowadays without the broadcast yourself words underneath the brand and the logo. Take T-Series vs Pewdiepie is a good example.
When i was 18 a man groped me on a half full carriage , it took me around 30 second to start yelling at him , it was enough to get him to back off, two young men sitting near by got up and grabbed the molester .
I'm Australian and this was on an Australian train , the police were called , the molester was arrested, i was interviewed by female police officers , cctv footage was to grainy to confirm anything and no one except me actually witnessed anything , the two men who helped me said to the police that they were responding to my yelling about being groped but they didn't see it happen.
the molester had legal aid and said he didn't grope me, he just bumped into me, he said he had a mental illness and was a bit drunk at 9 am , he was let go with a warning .
This was in 1998 .
Knowing something happend to you but not being able to prove it is a terrifying concept to me.
Why is it always mental illness used as excuse for crimes
@@gottfried1610 Men often can use anything as an excuse :/
@@crazydragy4233 not just men but woman also
It was well resolved then. You taught him a lesson.
Huge respect dude, I think this is one of the only channels that give a realistic insight into japanese culture
Yeah this guy is the real deal
After living in the U.S. for 50 years, I've learned to react and speak out in certain situations. With that being said, laws should be changed to protect the victim more. Also, the current law emboldens the person committing the crime because there are no consequences to "his" actions.
Current law in the U.S? We don't accept sexual assault here, many push for extremely strict penalties for it
@@Jigglywhiteboy7156that’s not true rapists get away too bc it’s hard to prove consent happens more than you think
Why just saying "his"???
This is a very serious issue and i hope that it will stop and the victims get helped. Thank you for speaking out keep it up Shogo.
Just saying but, the chikan incident's will still continue and will never stop because some of it's corrupt politician within the system/enforcement/law (as well as the regular people and rich people (son)/men (adult's) who do these chikan stuff). There will be many more victims to come.
Nothing will change because they will do whatever it takes to get back at you (like black mailing you and threaten you with your whole family and siblings to get their ways).
I'm a male living in indonesia, i was molested once on the over crowded train. I guess being a guy is also not safe on packed trains.
Random guy suddenly pressed me from behind and breathing quite heavily on my neck almost sniffing. I never felt so dirty before in my life and it's not like i could just scream out to stop this creep. ಥ╭╮ಥ
Yes there will always be chikan incidents but i still want that victims receive help. I have been on overpacked trams before COVID but i have never been molested and i am dutch BTW and there is no possibility to bribe a officer or a politcian in my country.
This felt very personal at the end when you mentioned your own two daughters. You are creating a positive change for their future as well by discussing these topics, and educating for social awareness and personal safety.
As a married man planning on visiting Japan soon, I have a question: What would happen to me if my wife becomes a victim of chikan, I see it happening and decide to bash up the perpetrator? Would I be sent to jail or would it be seen as self-defense?
If you were to bash up the perpetrator, you could find yourself in serious trouble with the police. if the police get involved then they might side with the Japanese person. Unless you speak good Japanese do not get into a scuffle. In fact even if you do speak good Japanese, still avoid getting into a scuffle since you are a foreigner.
100% agree with the above comment
The system over there isn't about fairness and police can and will detain foreigners for weeks without charge
There are no proper self defense laws in Japan. If you harm that man despite him molesting your wife, you can be charged. Being a foreigner and not speaking japanese will also be an additional detriment added as police tend to take the side of their own.
@@anjafrohlich1170 LMAO,grope the groper
your wife should be fine as long as you're around. most are cowards and understand the laws of the jungle: mess with another man's woman at your own peril. just don't go on packed trains as you'll never identify the perp.
I would really really like to tip my hat to you on the sensitivity discussing it, im a ptsd victim and topics like this can be very difficult to stomach. I was hesitant to even watch. your video was thorough enough to highlight how serious it is, but not enough to trigger me. Thank you.
A friend of mine goes to Japan on business trips, and he tells me stories like this one. Being a guy, I HATE other guys that do this to females. It's disgusting.
Your first language might not be English , the grammatically correct word to use is women. “I Hate other guys that do this to women.”
@@genesisrodriguez3051 who asked
There are cases were women do this to men also.
@@genesisrodriguez3051 women and female are synonymous no?
@@nai1729 you would think so right? 🌚
I was really impressed with the high school girl who made up the badges. That was so clever! I bet it probably also acts as a deterrent as it shows the girls aren't just protecting themselves but also looking out for each other.
I live in the US and back when I was in college, my dorm sponsored a self-defense class for all the girls who lived in the building. One of the things I remember being taught was to shout and make a huge scene if we were being molested/assaulted on top of learning how to fight back. Basically, the whole idea is to draw as much attention to the criminal and what they're doing as possible. So it's so bizarre for me to hear how someone doesn't speak up while being assaulted that way. Good to know that those badges seem to work to some degree though.
It's because they Freeze they have no clue what to do so they do nothing
Yea that would never happen in Japan
@@nikicarrie4071 I'm from South Asia, and In every school or college Separate self defence sessions were arranged for girl students
One of state gov even include it in syllabus under physical exercise and education
But I think what was incmplt was that they should even arrange classes to teach men to respect women too
In a scary situation you either freeze, flee, or fight.
Sad to say freezing is very common because you're so shocked and scared you just can't move.
One time somebody stroke/touched my hair whenever I was passing by, in a club, in Korea, and I snapped at him. It was loud and there formed a circle around us of Idk 8 people. He looked at me as if I was crazy. And Nobody did a thing. I yelled at him as loud as I could and was trying to kick him but he was like 4 heads taller than me. Yeah.. nobody did anything.
I also don't remember it that well, but I believe I was there with a group if friends. And we had 2 guys with us. And one of them was even into me.
I am happy to see how genuine you are. You are extremely kind and considerate.
There's a video floating around where two school girls are chasing down their chikan assailant on a train station platform and an elderly gentleman trips up the running criminal's legs so he falls, allowing the cops to catch him.
yeah it was a very rare footage that you don’t see much in Japan, I wish people would react like that instead of “not my problem” reaction
@@NTRMAN-bh2bd It kind of is a clever way to stick to that principle, cause he can pretend it was an accident. Unless it was really obvious.
Three Badasses! Way to Rock It!
@@NTRMAN-bh2bd i wish the same, also i believe shogo posted a video iirc regarding the often "not my problem" reactions
A girl of 19 from Japan was here in Australia and some dirty swine mauled her on the bus. I saw it and when we got off the bus, she was sobbing. I asked her if she wanted to report it, and she said no and panicked. She said that it would bring shame on her from her family. Poor little girl, her friend and I took her for a cup of tea and after an hour of assuring her it was not her fault. The law actually make matters much worse with media coverage.
One day, my sister got touched while riding on the bus and my brother and I were on the same bus. The offender got beaten by us and other bystanders and ended up in the hospital. My country is not tolerant to harassments to the point of having a law against it even if verbal comments are sexually oriented, with 5 to 10 years of jail time.
That's great
What country are you from?
@@tiangnegara6377 Costa Rica
Proud of you m8
AWESOME JOB
Thank you for posting this video. As the father of two daughters and having a niece in Japan, this issue is near and dear to me. Hopefully, the government will take this issue more seriously and start prosecuting this criminal behavior. It won't happen on its own, though. People must pressure the government and police to ensure the necessary changes in the laws are made.
This is the main reason I dislike when people make out Japan like this paradise. Yes the country is nice, but every country is going to have fatal flaws. It's crazy how some non-japanese people try to justify this behavior just to fit their idealized vision of Japan. I've even seen people say "japanese women are submissive and thus like this treatment" in response to high assault rates in Japan. It's very sad.
I have never read something like that. I would seriously be cautious around people who are willing to say such things.
@@TheDeathwhish Most are just teenaged weebs who struggle to find fault with Japan when it's the source of their favourite anime or video games.
Who tf says that LOL
Well if you only talk to teenage anime fans what do you expect. Any adult knows differently. You just got to think about the Yakuza influence. Women are not submissive in Japan. They may seem it at first but culture tells them to behave that way. Just marry one and find out differently.
@@Vanyel_K sadly you would think adults know differently, but they don’t either
I think any country has people like this, who just enjoy the powerplay of molesting helpless victims. When I was in my 10s-20s in Sweden, I rode on the bus/tram a lot and pretty often something would happen, usually by older men. but I would just freeze up, and then cry when I finally made it home and I felt sooo pathetic I didn't tell my mom. There is something that's so common it has its own term: "victim blaming". People start questioning the victim instead of the perpetrator. Why, didn't you do anything? Why didn't you run away? Why didn't you call for help? Etc, etc. I literally can't answer that myself, but I can tell you this; I absolutely hated every second of it, and I can remember every disgusting moment even now when I'm in my 30s. How dare you make me feel shame as if I enjoyed it.
I'm sorry you experienced that. I agree with you, these kind of garbage people are everywhere. In Spain, my country, when I was a teen going to school I experienced it and told my parents. They gave me "permission" to scream and hurt whoever touched me and told me to go crazy if I wanted because they would help me afterwards. I did the next time and I felt powerful lmfao and when I see teens experiencing it now as an adult I intervene because I know that most of us don't know to react in such a disgusting situation.
I hope none of us has to experience it anymore, not our teens and children.
@@anjafrohlich1170 free will, We can never truly stop(at our current state of progress) these things from happening without causing injustice via Guilty until proven innocent. Nature is simply indifferent to suffering
@@anjafrohlich1170 oh yeah, and society is in flexible.. It hard to apply blanket laws to rapidly growing amounts of unique people even with the amount if clauses and except we already have we just don't have to ability to do it...
I remember there was an article about women and chikan. I forgot where it was but it really made me upset because they were talking about women be molested on trains in a hentai manga. These were westerners talking about and justifying how it was OK for a woman in Japan to get molested on the train. Many of them stating that they've heard from their Japanese lady friends how it was a sort of rite a passage to be touched or molested or Worse on the train. But these were all Western perverts who really wanted to justify how it was OK if they went to Japan and grope a woman on a train because because she's OK with it and even if she's not what can she do. It's a stigma that the Japanese do it all the time in Japan and if you can get away with it you may as well go for it. And this horrible stigma seeps into Western culture when it comes to Asian women and being on a crowded bus. One of my good friends in high school told me when she was Going home this man copped a feel on her and and she was too terrified to say anything and he ended up stealing her cell phone as well. She was our Korean exchange student and we all told her that she had all rights to go crazy and yell and scream at him for attempting to touch her. But even she was like She didn't want to cause any trouble. And we told her she can yell and scream if someone was trying to hurt her. But I'm so glad you brought this up that a lot of the scenarios come from porn and people cannot differentiate between fiction and reality.
Those weebs are racists who thinks that they can do whatever they want to japanese women because they think they're submissive and secretly perverted.
About the fiction I don't necessarily agree with 100% (although it depends on how you interpret what Shogo says). Often fiction depicts things that are impossible or ridiculous IRL and then it can be easily discerned. But in this case it's something that to an extent reflects reality instead, and you may think that it can influence reality because of it. Yet this is a case where Real Life predated the Fiction, as it's depicting a very specific and complex situation that the reader can understand, and would not otherwise. If it were the contrary, it would probably not be much shown in fiction. That's why If it stopped being shown in fiction altogether, it'd sadly still occur in a similar degree IRL.
However it's true that some people cannot tell the difference (or they can but lack empathy, or can't control their impulses), and in places with such a high density of people, with the conditions mentioned, those few become a significant amount per year.
If that's part of the problem, then the point of it being an educational problem acquires more relevance. Also, for a person to have the "tools" to "tell fiction and reality apart" is very important to better understand the context of certain things in today's world. But it's something that's not given the right importance yet. It's even fundamental to teach people since they're young to differenciate fiction from reality, and fiction not only in the "sexual aspect" (chikan, hentai, e tc), as it has very other dark stuff regarding very graphical violence, extreme horror, e tc. that if people started confusing it with reality it'd have awful consequences. I'd say it's related to, and just as important as having one's own thoughts/criteria on the things one reads or watches, instead of simply assimilating and accepting ideas one's exposed to.
@@alvinsmith3894 whoa stop right there with obvious ignorant of weeb. u think we have a gal to touch a woman. many is degenerate and pervert but u think true weeb willingly touch a woman, no we dont. there's different between culture and crime.
Yeah a lot of these western weebs fetishize asian women to the point they think these women are nothing but weak, submissive, childlike slaves with no sense of individuality . Anime forums are full of these neckbeards who justify this misogyny with excuses like "it's their culture" or "they like it" but ignore the fact how asian women suffer from these systems.
@decoraqueen a actually shut up.
I like the fact that you smile a lot less in this video, which fits the serious topic you chose. A lot of youtubers may talk about serious and grave subjects, but don't know to tone down the cheerfulness they're used to display
Honestly it's frustrating how Japan's society is just a big vicious cycle of old beliefs and morals sticking tight, and because of these, nothing will change and things will stay the same, and stuff like this will just keep happening over and over again. And if you dare to be different, you will be shunned by the community. It just makes me very angry.
True dat
Remember that all society is culpable for this.
@@lauravergot9995 ☝️
Isn't Japan considered one of the safest countries in the world?
The bullying in Japan is just sickening. It's like that willful side eye you give someone as you whisper about them for no other reason than you noticed them.
Now this is a serious topic, you've seen it in anime and manga and that's certainly telling something. Awareness is really something that all people should have and speaking against this makes not only females but males who are against this too comfortable to be with other people
It was the opening scene in My Love Story. I thought it was a weird plot device, but now I kinda understand.
i agree. When watching Anime and or reading Manga. I used to think that these fictional girls are just unfair bullies. but now I think differently.
but than again. some people are not even Safe in their own homes !
I wish they’d stop making assault pornos out of this. Rape isn’t and shouldn’t be marketed as sexy to people. It amazes me Japan can be so prudish about women’s enthusiastic pleasure but so depraved when it comes to catering to male centered fantasies.
Because it's just a fetish
@@marcorodriguez8792 violating someone’s consent (let’s be honest it’s mostly underaged girls being attacked so by most Japanese prefecture laws they can’t) isn’t a fetish. Normal degenerate’s fetishes are say bondage, impact play, heck even those ballon people. But guess what? Normal degenerates negotiate/discuss their kinks (even those non-con fetish folks will have prior discussions on no-go’s and safe words) with their partners beforehand, you don’t just randomly start doing a scene with someone. Clearly you have no knowledge on actual kink/fetish communities and practices.
Here's something even more disturbing.
I'm a white woman who lived in Japan for two and a half years. I experienced chikan during my _first week_ there. When I turned around to confront my assailant, he quickly stopped and said (in Japanese), "I'm sorry. I thought you were Japanese."
He'd apparently only seen the back of my head, so he couldn't tell I was a foreigner, but that also means he thinks Japanese women are okay with being molested.
I took woman-only trains after that. Luckily I was able to do that, but a lot of railways in Japan still don't have woman-only train cars.
Dude here in my country , a two biker men suddenly forcefully kissed a lonely female walking on roadside and speeded fastly
These video clip which was caught on cctv on shop nearby became viral on social media and nation wide criticism happened , the culprits were arrested or not i don't remember i think they're arrested
bro why does it even matter if you were japanese or not thats so messed up
@@niniidust I think that the assaulter thinks that Japanese woman are weak... but I'm not sure
@@preksha1109 probably
I'm very sorry for what I'm about to ask, I'm not trying to justify chikan in any way, I strongly believe it's a form of crime, however... I still can't resist asking if you know some japanese women who... who might like chikan. No, I'm not that kind of man who thinks the woman's "no" is actually "yes", I'm just thinking: I personally would LOVE to be touched in the train. I know women are very different from men but maybe, just maybe there're some women who kinda like chikan? Maybe some tiny minority, I don't know...
Btw, no, I've never done anything similar, I'm not planning to do it - nothing like that. Just curious.
Thank you for this video.
You deal with difficult subjects with sensitivity and intelligence . All cultures have problems and it is brave of you to discuss the problems, in a culture that you so clearly love.
When I lived in Japan, I found a way to never be mistakenly accused of chikan. I hold onto a hand ring or rail with one hand, and I put my other hand on my heart like I'm giving the pledge of allegiance. This way, both of my hands are always in view.
I put my hands up in front, non-dominant to the front and pull back the dominant a little bit, just like the orthodox or southpaw stance!
sasageyo, sasageyo.. oh sorry
@@larsswig912 Commander Erwin 😭💔
Some of you people are so naïve .
@@khoanguyen-wc8qz Southpaw sounds cute :3
The anti-shikan badge is actually pretty clever, and it adds up to the theory of how most s/xual crimes are made more with the motivation to dominate someone who's helpless and defenseless just for the thrill of superiority more than s/xual arousal on its own
These kind of tactics have been seen to work with a lot of types of s/xual crimes- whenever the aggressor sees that the victim is willing to put up a fight or visibly alert theyll probably lose interest, because they want an easy target, not a struggle-
Its one of the reasons why women in general are also told to never walk and search their bag because theyll be an easy target or to yell and struggle as much as possible if someone grabs them with the intent of committing a s/xual crime on them, as chances are theyll let go way quicker to avoid trouble-
granted i know that the latter goes against japanese culture, but it goes to show that the anti-shikan badge is a very smart combination of both concepts, not only do you avoid the struggle of making a scene, but it also turns off the creep on that appeal of "this person is entirely oblivious and helpless, so i can overpower them easily"
So honestly props to that girl for being so clever
I just came up with that idea myself! So there is already a badge? Please tell me more it.
Whats up with censoring ”sexual”? :p
This relates to my post about young men and boys (even children) who are victims of chikan, because some men want to feel dominance over some other men and boys, because they feel they are lower level or made to feel embarrassed by their boss. It's a problem for boys too.
This basically is how bullying works. They normally target those who do not seem like they would fight back. I learned that in high school.
"and it adds up to the theory of how most s/xual crimes are made more with the motivation to dominate someone who's helpless and defenseless just for the thrill of superiority more than s/xual arousal on its own"
Absolutely. It's almost certain that sexual crimes are driven by power, control, and mainly targets those that are easy to target. Not so much sexual obssession toward specific individuals.
One day I was doing a videocall with a long-time Japanese friend and I told her that another friend suffered from Chikan and more serious sexual assault and then she bursted into tears and her usual quiet mood changed to hysterical,asking me please to change the subject(which I did immediately).I didn't make any questions about it but I understood that she suffered from Chikan and my friend's story brought her bad memories.Sad to know that even my closest people were assaulted without any chance their reports can be heard.
Man, it's a very hard topic to address... congratulations for the courage to research and share something so dark from your society (and other countries as well). I hope that we all manage to find the solutions to abolish this thing soon!
Is it shameful to be a victim of sexual harrassment? If so then you got part of the problem right there.
Sadly yes. Pretty much universally.
well you see, they taught that to every girl in the country, and in addition, their culture has taught everyone that from when they were born
It's shameful all over the world. People think you did something to warrant it or that it's your own fault for "allowing" it. I've even had colleagues (both genders) tell me this after I told them the man who was my boss and supervisor was harassing me. "Aren't you being too sensitive? You know how he acts around women"... If you bring it up, you're labeled as problematic and difficult to work with and depending on your job, it can mess up your career. I like to think things are improving, but it's a slow process.
It's universally shamefull.
This is going to be weird maybe but I'm happy to see his face was filled with disgust throughout whole video. I felt understood and validated. Thanks for bringing this issue to attention.
Seems to me that this is based in deeply rooted societal issues regarding sexism. Not taking women seriously as human people and laws not protecting them. Yes men can be assaulted but it's clearly a predominately female issue. It's sad but I hope more progress is made for everyone there
Men are the primary victims of rape across the world.
Don't know if it's deeply rooted, but it's at least a large contributing factor. Not the only one, though.
@@Dice-Z victim shame culture and the culture of 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered first; in a collectivism homogenous worker bee society
@@Dice-Z It is a deeply-rooted one. Japan is surprisingly quite sexist
It's only sexist if it's against women, of it was the other way around I doubt people would complain...
I just find it very ironic that the same men who don't take sexual harassment very seriously are the ones who become very overprotective of their daughters. It's as if raising a daughter makes them suddenly realize that women are human.
No they just care about their daughters specifically.
As a man with two younger sisters, this scares me to the core. Especially since one of my sister's and I really wanna go to Japan for a two week trip this year when the country opens up. But these incidents are literally in the back of my mind plaguing me Everytime I think of the trip. Thank you for the video!!! Much as gracias Don!
Just stick close to them and have all eyes open in the train and if something happens you make that pervert arrest.
@@leckerbambi1019 Not that easy to get someone arrested in Japan for a foreigner, and trying to involve the law can backfire unfortunately.
I have been to Japan with my ex and no men touched me so it is safe for a woman if she is with her brother/bf.
You can think of a plan to avoid them..
They can use woman only trains
Side note: You're a skilled public speaker with clear enunciation. Thank you for your hard work.
I’ve never been to Japan, but have been to South Korea, it happens there too. Our group had an almost 2 hour ride to the district we worked in, and 2 women were in our group, we’re all Americans. One morning a guy started to molest one of the females in our group and she started screaming at him, I (without even thinking about being in a Foreign Country) reacted……physically. The police were called, the man was arrested but I almost was arrested as well. I honestly think the only reason I wasn’t was I had told the Officers that I’m a US Army Veteran and had just reacted without thinking to defend a Coworker being attacked.
Thank you for this important video!
In the podcast of „Abroad in Japan“ Chris told that, similar to you, almost every female friend of his have experienced chikan, too… and that is horrifying hearing that as a woman. But what me really baffled is how some police men even reacted when a foreigner actually reacts...
In one story, a visitor became witness of a school girl being touched inappropriately looking extremely distressed and even mouthed „助けて“ so he jumped into action, grabbed this man, pulled him away and smashed him to the ground when he tried to escape or tried to fend him off (as far as I remember…) but when the police arrived they we‘re more concerned about this tourist who hurt a poor japanese man… instead of listening to why this even happened in the first place. I wonder why is that?
Japanese police sucks.
Social conditioning probably, just clues to the puzzle.
When I was in middle school I idolized Japan so much and wanted to live there super badly. But now that I've hear a lot more experiences about what the country is actually like, I've learned that it's really not this wonderful country where nothing bad ever happens. I'd still like to visit one day, but I've decided I don't want to live there anymore...
Can you tell me about your experiences please. Im super interested
Maybe its because you are a feminist and the men there dont accept you
@@anthonygreenfield123 What experience? She said she has yet to even visit there.
@Chicken Nugget yeah it wont. Japan are stanch traditionalists
Yeah its a real shithole here might move elsewhere
It's not just the pornography culture that promotes acts like these. Even in regular anime there's some really weird characters that are very openly perverted.
Simple example from a well known, mainstream anime: Mineta from Boku no Hero Academia. In my eyes he's quite an extreme case, and while to me he is gross, he has quite a fanbase behind him who adore his character. He gets smacked around and punished for his behavior by the women, and the staff of the school are aware of his tendencies, but he is never reported, and the staff aren't ever seen taking action. Instead it is painted as something humorous.
Also, the creator of the manga has stated that Mineta was created in his own image, and he openly admits to being a pervert. This sounds like it's something that he's actually proud of, why else would you openly admit to this to the public?
While pornography already has a sexual tag to it, and you're willingly watching these to get exposed to certain topics, this is not the case for regular anime. The moments of perversion or harrassment are carefully sprinkled throughout the series, and happen on a regular basis. When these things happen in a regular setting, for example a school environment, it is easier to get into a mindset of 'oh it's really no big deal', or to believe that it is actually alright.
I'm saying this as a lover of anime by the way. I'm not campaigning against anime in any way. I'm just trying to point out that it's not just the hentai that can cause issues.
In any case I think it's mostly the individual who is commiting these acts who is the problem, rather than the media they're exposed to. So many people from around the world indulge in anime and also hentai, and so many of those would never lay a hand on someone else against their will. If these perverts choose to at on things that they've seen on television or the internet or wherever, then to me that indicates an issue with that person's mindset in particular, not the entire media.
Anyways... thanks for the video. I hope some sort of solution can be found somewhere in a near future. In the meantime: be strong, girls. Crush their family jewels if you have to.
But fr tho, minetas a pervert
Mineta is a byproduct of an existing problem. You are blaming the symptoms rather than the root cause of the problem.
I remember how comics/anime i watch affected my perception of stuff like comedy as a child. It was why i thought hitting other people is funny and did exactly so lol. Having perverted characters in media so openly is kinda dangerous to the kids.
@@StonerSquirrel thats literally what their comment is about? they said peoples MINDSETS is what create characters like mineta and what urges them to relate to him (because they are also nasty perverts) maybe read the comment next time instead because they also said that they weren't campaigning against anime
I mean at multiple points he nearly gets killed for it nearly got drowned and if we’re going to be treating his body realistically he would definitely be dead from falling off a 30 foot height which he was pushed off
That is awful. Women everywhere seem to constantly have to struggle for being seen as people. My job (counseling) would be so much easier if the people committing these assaults had to feel what their victims do.
Stories like that officer's are why I find the real world more scary than fictional horror.
lol
Japan's Chikan problem is so serious that even train stations have signs to warn others about Chikan. Also, innocent men on the train are sometimes worried they'd be mistaken as Chikan.
it beats worrying about being groped
@@ouicertes9764not really because instead of doing all of that useless crap, they need to capture and humiliate the chikan and deliver him to the police. To bad Japan's justice system is trash and just to keep harmony they will release the chikan.
As someone who will eventually be teaching English in Japan, I am legitimately nervous of catching this happen in real time. I do not think I would be able to stop myself from stepping in and putting the molester in their place.
I know japan doesn't take kindly to physical intervention with things such as this and how the police can hold you up to a month's worth at a time if you are a foreigner.
I think it's important to keep in mind the level of physical intervention. If it's possible, put yourself between the culprit and the victim, creating a physical barrier. Even if you are vocal, others might turn a blind eye, but try anyways. If there are others willing to help, you can try to apprehend the culprit together without escalating to violence.
Worst case scenario, you stop the criminal but he gets away - but you saved someone. Best case scenario, you and the others get the man and victim to the police. It's important the victim comes because, as Shogo pointed out, that is necessary for the investigation.
If you can take photo evidence of the criminal before you act, that increases the chance the criminal will be arrested when you turn him in. The most important thing to remember is to have a plan BEFORE this happens so you know exactly what you want to do.
I'm sure just threatening to beat the molester unconscious will work just fine.
Don't listen to the person in the comments, do NOT beat the chikan. Japan has very strict laws and you can get sent to jail or deported if you react with any amount of physical violence. If it's possible, always take the female train car, always have a friend with you, and avoid crowded train cars if you can. The sardine cars are not as common outside of big cities, so it's less of a worry for you if you're not traveling at peak hour. I know from personal experience not all trains have a female-only car and that they only run at certain times, and that it isn't always possible to have a friend with you at all times, but if you feel comfortable/safe, there are police kobans all around and could potentially help you at least deter a chikan.
Well say goodbye to your lil teaching job then you can either be a teacher or superman hahahah
There should be cameras in trains and every train should have a women only section. Also women police officers should be issued pants and shoes. Who thought heels for a police officer? 🤦♂️
There are women only train cars now. Saw another commenter mention it, and I googled it to check, its true, and they also exist in south America, particularly Brazil.
I agree totally with regard to female police officer attire.
How much cameras can see in very crowded carriages is open to question, although it would not hurt, and trains are not going to be crowded all of the time.
I am rather reticent about women only carriages, not least because it implies that women should be seated separately from menfolk, even potentially members of their own family and circle of friends. In fact, it seems in many ways to justify the view in some Arab countries that segregation of the sexes in all public spheres is the only way to protect women. It also would only make very crowded trains even more crowded for those fewer carriages where men are permitted to travel.
@@Ice_2228 Are there men only trains? How about JP only and white only trains? What about long hair only and short hair only? Segregation by height and weight as well?
Even better why would anyone ever get on a Gov funded train? Have we learned nothing from history? You're all getting played by lies and attention seekers. If anything men in JP are avoiding women more than any other demographic of men on Earth. Hence the attention seeking.
And seriously you want more creeps spying on you with cameras? What a strange world you normies have manufactured. Segregating yourselves and wanting to be spied on by the authorities who want to control every little aspect of your life.
@@tokiwartooth4404 you seem very paranoid. Having women only train cars is not segregation because they are not mandetory. It is just an available option for women, they are not required to use the women's cars, therefore there is no segregation. Its an option and women have the choice to use it or not use it. There are many things that are women only, like girlscouts, boarding schools, restrooms, saunas/spas, and the same goes for men. Its nothing new, it's not segregation. The train cars are for the benefit of women and you are acting like it is oppressing them, when in reality they can choose to simply use a general population car if they don't want to use the women's car.
I think you are far too paranoid about this matter, these train cars are nothing more than an optional convenience for women who feel vulnerable.
@@tokiwartooth4404 Are you chikan? I think so.
Even that I love japan, I’m a manga and anime fan, but from those two it’s clear that Japan is misogynistic country. And it’s really sad.I’m from Morocco, we have packed trains and buses, but if someone touch you and you just say a word , everyone around will beat that person and not ask him but push him out in the next station.
Here in the U.S, it unfortunately isn't much better, but at least here if you go to the police they'll try to help
@@Anonymous-hx3pu That and guns...
This is the central mystery to me - how a country with such a strong idea of morals and harmony - on the surface - can be so immoral regarding equality and sexual crime, with so many examples of extreme sexuality. With yet another brilliant, pedagogic video, you have explained how this has happened very well I think.
I think Chikan is very related also to the subgroup of 'Upskirting', which is I believe also widespread. Again, women as objects for naive / frustrated / ignorant men.
I am sure it is also related to another phenomenon, Hikikomori
Isn't hikikomori living in your room and never leaving it?
Women are hikkikomori too... thats something that afffects all japan.....
Yo they were allied with the Nazis and are still super conservative to this day. Do not be surprised.
Even in west, many girl is sexual assaulted with drug or other method by her boyfriend... 🙄
Japan is a country of appearances, not morals and harmony.
i just want to say thank you for making these videos about these horrible things. the more information about it & the more aware people are hopefully more laws etc will become more strict to help the victims from this crime
The problem is the Japanese mentality toward these things. I'm from Holland. If we see those things the majority of us especialy men would probably beat the molester up. And if the cops catch the perp then he would be brought to justice. That's why it rarely or never happens in overcrowded trains here. It would be much more likely on the empty late trains. Also women over here don't feel less then men in the social higharchy perse. Alot of the women would speak out, hit or push someone. Alot has to do with the culture.
You forgot to mention here in Netherlands, we have other kind of sexual predatory related problem here with lover boys. Albeit luckily at much lower scale than chikan incidents in Japan.
But yeah, culture does differ as here if you would yell for help in any crowded place, someone will rise to the need. Which often sets example for others to do the same. Social control is much more present here, helped by the fact people grew up here generally learning to be outspoken about their opinion.
@@NexuJin What ate lover boys over there in their Netherlands? Can you briefly explain.
@@lmuhoja honestly, it’s just teenage pimps. They fool teenage girls into liking them with gifts and love bombing, and after a while start pimping them out. I think it’s been a thing for a bit now, but society was really surprised so it keeps being brought up every couple of years.
@dangernoodle205Oh my, that is awful.
Awesome job, Shogo. Another one of Japan's rising issues that need to be addressed aggressively instead of being brushed under the rug to save face and 'preserve tradition'. Hopefully the government is revitalised sooner than later and embraces much needed change.
That was a very well done video regarding this issue. It was interesting and I am glad you were courageous enough to address it publically!
I was stationed in Japan a few years ago and a friend and I went to Comiket and were in cosplay. I'm an average looking American girl but this one guy decided he wanted to try me. I panicked when he touched me and my instincts went into flight or fight mode and because of my self defense training, I ended up laying him out in the middle of the train. It happened so fast and I was just.... wtf dude... and he got up and walked to a different train car. I'm guessing he was going to try it out since its hard enough to report the sexual assault, and with a non fluent Japanese speaker, it would be next to impossible. I hope he never touched anyone after me... because I'm not sure how many others would do the same...
Actually it’s the opposite. From all the stories I’ve read (including here in the comments) the perverts actually avoid western women since they tend to be more outspoken and confrontational. You absolutely did the right thing, but Japanese culture conditions their women to be too timid.
This reminds me of the anime Ore Monogatari. I always thought that it was an unlikely situation and just a plot device for the anime. Thanks for bringing this awareness to us.
Dude I just watched that a few days ago.
I’m American, and occasionally had to deal with the inappropriate touching on buses in college. There wasn’t really anything to do, and they could just say it was an accident. But what was worse was in food service was that older managers would sometimes touch or slap us and there wasn’t really anything we could do.
So, I’ve known about chikan in Japan since college, and I feel for anyone accosted that way. It’s great that those badges may be helping people!
@@paisanoarbr no one is safe in the service industry
The amount of times I've been touched, grabbed, rubbed (with hands and/or breasts, had sexual questions thrown my way, been literally chased by managers, or had other people's hands go down my shirt, is to numerous to count. I get it from men and women, married and unmarried.
I tried to report it once at one of my earlier jobs when I was 20. Girl literally started a rumor that I impregnated her and was intimidating my other coworkers (I was in a relationship and a virgin) and the ladies in HR laughed it off and told me that "I liked it"
Haven't reported anything since at any of my jobs.
Not to mention HR calls are never anonymous even when they claim to be and most of the time management is a fraternity so it feels a tad pointless
Edit: I'm also straight and present as straight. So the ridiculous amount of male sexual harassment is mind boggling to me and at times, rage inducing depending on how far they take it
@@wyatt5167 i am so sorry you've had to put up with all of that :(
This happened to my daughter as a hostess at a restaurant. It’s just terrible. I am still working on justice. We certainly have our own sets of issues here, but I think women all over the world need to stick together to protect each other! They need us to continue the human species 🙌🏼
Mace spray the Japanese guy in the face for sexual assault like in America 🇺🇸
@@BargerClan this is mess up. I would hit on them if someone sexual touch me.
Your content is very informative and matter a fact. It really puts things into perspective for those people who love Japan on a base level; and either want to travel there or live. It's a breath of fresh air to hear someone from Japan address these cultural phenomenal, better or worse. Awesome content.
Brother, I'm very grateful that you've invested time and effort to share your findings with the rest of us. I quietly weep for the current seeming state of humanity. So many systems need to change in order to allow the flourishing of most people and so much holistic baggage to be shed before it can be done. Once we're informed, it's easier to know how to prepare. Peace.
In Mexico City we also have woman only carts, but it's not always possible to fit in peak hours. One time I was riding on a regular cart, a guy started touching me, I looked around to find another space, the men around obviously saw what was going on but ignored it. A teenage girl then tapped my shoulder and made space for me to move away. I was so grateful to her, but also really mad, not only at the guy touching me, but at the other adult men that didn't even bother making space for me.
When you mentioned that you will protect your daughters, I literally imagine you going after chikan with a katana in your hand. Now, my suggestions: The government should push for police officers to be posted in the stations, especially during rush hours. In non-rush hour periods, they can ride the trains and try to spot and deter chikan. Have them wear normal clothing so that it's easier to approach the chikan without them noticing. However, we need more mold to be broken and more people to take initiative to change the culture so that there is lesser ideal environment for criminal acts to be committed. It's reassuring to see that more and more people are going against the social norms and standing up for their own rights; we should encourage them and lend them support so that, hopefully, the society could be restructured years down the road.
Thankyou for this information and explaining it so well. As a society we all should raise voice against such crime and support the victim.
I have seen the portrayal of chikan in anime and manga, but I just thought it was a trope. I didn't realize how rampant it really was. As a woman who has 5 daughters, this is terrifying to me. I am so heartbroken to think of those children who feel so hopeless, and scared to speak out. I really hope that some reforms are put in place to bring awareness and show how damaging it is to anyone experiencing this. Thank you for shining a light on the subject and educating us.
Thank you for being willing to attack this difficult topic Shogo. Bringing awareness and creating dialogue are two very powerful ways to fight this behavior. Thank you for being a champion for these girls and women.
As a young woman moving to Japan next summer to continue my studies there, I'll be sure to get a chikan badge! My friends and family are afraid for me, since I already am SA survivor...
Whats SA?
@@shubhank5409 sexual assault
Sexual Assault
@@shubhank5409 sexual assault
@@shubhank5409 sexual assault
I lived in Tokyo for a year and this happened often. Didn't matter what time of day, what I was wearing, what part of Tokyo I was in, etc. I also heard stories from some of my female high school students of what they had to deal with on a near daily basis.
I was told by many Japanese women that sometimes it's best not to react to train molestation, because you would be bothering the public. If you stay quiet only the victim is bothered, which is more "considerate" to the public.
Thank you for talking about this! When I visited Japan as a teenager I felt very unsafe on trains because of creepy men getting up in my business :/
Thank you so much Shogo for bringing this up. Not just for women, but also underage people of any gender. Poor school students.
Yes, men also can get this
@@fightingkitchen7960 regardless of the gender of the victim, the perpetrators are always males. Makes you think doesn't it
Shame that the freeze response is considered their consent.
I’ve experienced molestation/chikan in other countries (I’ve never been to Japan but I do want to go there sometime). I’m a fairly tall woman (5’11) and most of the creeps were bellow my height so it was a lot easier to fend off. What I usually do is take a picture from over my shoulder with the flash, it gets their attention and gets them to look up before either elbowing them on the chest or the stomach for them to leave me alone and if they stil don’t want to, I kick them in the tibia and cause a scene to get people’s attention and get him off me. I’ve been touched inappropriately about 12 times now, first case happened when I was 12. Stay safe, bring a taser if you feel like you need it and just be prepared to confront them
It's good to protect yourself. But even better to protect others.
Try to be aware of your surroundings. Look at what other passengers on the train are doing.
If you see some guy fondling a woman who is freezing up, do the right thing. Stand up, call it out, go up to the victim and offer your support.
These perverts won't fight you. They are cowards by default, and their methods show it.
And if you see school girls getting too close to you move away pretty quick.
@@ExtremeMan10 nah, just move away, safer to be closer to the drunk salarymen
Actually, some perverts will fight you. And if they win, they'll do to you whatever it is they feel is their birthright to do.
@@linkskywalker5417 No they won't. Because if they had the spine for a confrontation, they wouldn't engage in this kind of behaviour.
They are obviously afraid of getting caught, which is why they prefer using a method where if they are found out they can just excuse it by blaming it on how crowded the train is.
These perverts clearly require a safety net in their methodology, and people who are willing to engage in a stand-up fight don't. Because they are not adverse to risk.
@@JapanMonAmourTheJapanHouse Could you explain? I don't get the reference
Bro, it took a lot of balls to talk about this, and you did it as about as professionaly as one could. Well played, young man.
thank you for making this video. I have heard of this many times and most of my female Japanese friends have been through this act and this is very useful to them and me.
I feel like now the woman only trains are safe for them and me.
I really do appreciate this video it did give me a rather better understanding.
I am kind of young and my Japanese friends are rather older than me so this is very useful for me to keep safe in the future and better understanding
Its likely because there isn't enough done to prevent it. If they don't get caught or punished its more they are more likely to continue doing it. More turning them in/calling it out as it happens is part of it. The other is law inforcement needs to prosecute it strictly. Without Consequence it is more likely to happen and more likely the person will repeat the act.
That could be a large hurdle for the Japanese. As I understand it they as a culture do not like to make waves, stand out, or call others out.
This is disturbing, the woman's story that she's molested on the train, where some people saw and knew what's happening but didn't even help her. I can't image the trauma she might have felt. Your train 'incidents' there are training grounds for possible future rapists.
thank you for making this video! i’ve never heard of a chikan badge before but i’m glad you talked about it! spreading knowledge about this will definitely help people be safer on trains in japan
I live in America (Connecticut), but seeing this is still really nice. It helps to have men call this out too. Most men, I think, listen to other men more.
I'm a woman (twenty-eight), but I'm tall (5'7 and a quarter or a little over 170cm), so I think that's why a lot of girls and women who are much shorter than I am have a harder time with sexual harassment.
Many other girls and women I know are more afraid of taking Lyfts by themselves, walking outside, etc. and get a lot of harassment where I feel like I only ever get it every so often and by teen boys (so I'm not as scared, as many of them have been scrawny) or I deal with scammers when I go to Manhattan.
I also usually walk around with my twin sister, so some of the guys around us who are creepy have been shorter and that seems to throw them off. I see them go for more for shorter girls and women and, if they are not white especially, (I'm white.) women and girls of color (like black girls and darker Latina girls).