Female commuters – and tourists – in the Japanese capital of Tokyo may have a more comfortable experience following the introduction of female-only carriages.
According to The Guardian, the move comes after an “alarming” rise in sexual assaults – reported incidents have risen three-fold between 1996 and 2004.
There were some 1800 arrests last year, the newspaper reports, with offenders aged from 14 to 80.
Incredibly, a survey has shown that more than 60 per cent of women in their 20s and 30s have been “groped” on trains in Tokyo.
The Guardian reports that such a scheme was introduced in Osaka several years ago, but calls for a similar system in Tokyo has been rejected because of fears that is would delay trains.
One 19-year-old is quoted as welcoming yesterday’s move: “You feel safer because you know you won’t be molested.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com
