Chikan (body contact)


Chikan (痴漢, チカン, or ちかん) is sexual harassment or other obscene acts conducted against the victim's will, or a person who commits such an act.[1] The term is frequently used to describe men and women[2] who take advantage of the crowded conditions on the public transit systems to grope women, although men can be victims of chikan as well.[3] While the term is not defined in the Japanese legal system, vernacular use describes acts that violate several laws. The neologism referring to the corresponding female chikan is chijo.
In clinical psychology, the desire is called frotteurism. While women on crowded trains in Japan are the most frequent targets of chikan, sexual predators in Japan can take advantage of people in other situations as well. One such situation (warned against in the sign pictured) is bicycle parking lots, where a molester will wait until a woman or man is bent over, unlocking their bicycle lock, and then grope them from behind. Chikan often features in Japanese pornography, along with other non-consensual themes.[4] As part of the effort to combat chikan, some railway companies have designated women-only passenger cars.[5][6][7]
In FY2024, there were 2,254 arrests for molestation, of which 1,321 were in stations and trains, and 1,203 arrests for voyeurism, including 1,000 on escalators and stairs in stations.[8]Victims of molestation may be inhibited from reporting their victimization, psychologically unable to ride the train, and other ongoing harms.[9]
Description
[edit]CHIKAN is the act of touching or hugging someone on a train, in an elevator, or on a street at night, or of exhibitionism of the lower half of one's body and enjoying seeing the other person's reaction, which is a sex crime.[10]Basically means non-lethal sexual assault, sexual violence, and the person who commits it.[11][12]
BBC News reports that the word chikan has spread around the world, so much so that foreign molestation and voyeurism groups are targeting Japanese trains. [13]
While some countries publish country-specific travel advice, the United Kingdom government has posted for its citizens traveling to Japan, “Female passengers travelling on commuter trains have experienced inappropriate behaviour. This includes touching and upskirting – taking photos or videos from below when women walk or stand nearby. ” and the Canadian government has posted, "Inappropriate physical contact may occur on busy subways and trains. ”[14][15]
On the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line, an 18-year-old woman was raped on a platform in 2019 as a result of escalating molestation on the train.[16]On this train, there was also a rape case in 1988 due to an accusation of molestation and recrimination.[17]
Statistics
[edit]The National Police Agency reports that about 2,000 to 3,000 chikans are arrested each year.[18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Catching the men who sell subway groping videos". BBC News. June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Daijirin dictionary entry for chikan
- ^ Zhu, Lingfeng (2023). "Criminal remedies for sexual rights of male in Japan and China". Tokyo Metropolitan University Journal of Law and Politics (in Japanese). 63 (2): 423–458. ISSN 1880-7615.
- ^ WuDunn, Sheryl (December 17, 1995). "On Tokyo's Packed Trains, Molesters Are Brazen". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- ^ The His and Hers Subway Archived December 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Japan Tries Women-Only Train Cars to Stop Groping". ABC News.
- ^ "Women-Only Cars on Commuter Trains Cause Controversy in Japan". Archived from the original on November 13, 2005. Retrieved October 29, 2005.
- ^ "Results of Arrests for Molestation and Voyeurism in 2023" (PDF). Metropolitan Police Department. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
- ^ "痴漢にあった女の子の涙 警察は「被害届出すの? 時間かかるよ」 加害者への「広告」に絶句 北原みのり". AERA. April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ 上田基編著『命のたいせつさを学ぶ性教育』ミネルヴァ書房、2008年、ISBN 4623051021、86頁
- ^ 痴漢は性暴力に入りますか?(小川たまか) - 個人 - Yahoo!ニュース|access-date=2021-07-05
- ^ 痴漢から女性を守る会 著『満員電車は危険がいっぱい』マイクロマガジン社、2007年、ISBN 4896372514、p.23
- ^ "Catching the men who sell subway groping videos". BBC. June 8, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ "Foreign travel advice Japan". GOV.UK. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ "Japan travel advice". GOV.CANADA. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ 机美鈴. "駅のホームで強制性交 社会は痴漢と向き合ってきたか". 朝日新聞. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "News Up もし、あなたの大切な人が…女性専用車両を考える". NHKニュース. 日本放送協会. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ 令和3年警察白書 統計資料 2-41 痴漢事犯の検挙状況等の推移 (in Japanese). National Police Agency. Retrieved June 29, 2022.