Japan’s maid cafe staff join fight against groping: ‘we won’t tolerate it’
Tokyo police have launched an anti-‘chikan’ campaign, introducing a new safety app and intensifying patrols to curb unwanted sexual advances
Maid cafe staff and students were recently spotted in Tokyo distributing flyers denouncing groping outside the train station in Akihabara, the centre of Japanese anime, manga and gaming culture. “We won’t tolerate groping,” a group of maid cafe workers told news station TBS.
The police have designated the first two weeks of June as a special enforcement period to combat molestation, introducing a safety app to enable victims to discreetly report harassment. Many victims typically hesitate to report such incidents due to fear and other barriers, authorities have said.
“If you experience groping or voyeurism, speak up with courage,” said Toyoda Noriaki, a police station chief in Tokyo. “And if you can’t speak, please use the DigiPolice app.”
According to police statistics, 2,000 to 3,000 groping cases are reported in Japan each year. Last year, police recorded 725 groping cases across Tokyo, with over 70 per cent occurring in trains or at stations, according to public broadcaster NHK. About half of the victims were in their 20s, while teenagers numbered more than 200.