Excuse me, did you grope me?
The Mainichi reports the growing popularity of a mobile phone application that “wards off gropers in trains”.
With messages like ‘Did you just grope me?’ and ‘Shall we head to the police?’ as well as ‘Groping is a crime’, women are apparently able to “ward off wandering hands in Japan’s congested commuter trains”.
“Anti-Groping Appli” by games developer Takahashi was released in late 2005, but has only recently climbed up popularity rankings, reaching No. 7 in this week’s top-10 cell phone applications list compiled by Web-based publisher Spicy Soft Corp.
The application flashes increasingly threatening messages in bold print on the phone’s screen to show to the offender.
Users press an “Anger” icon in the program to progress to the next threat. A warning chime accompanies the messages.
The application, which can be downloaded for free on Web-enabled phones, is for women who want to scare away perverts with minimum hassle and without attracting attention, according to Takahashi’s Web site.
The report quotes the Tokyo Metropolitan Police as saying that “1,853 people were arrested for groping passengers on trains in Tokyo in 2005″, but that the real rate of such incidents is a good deal higher, with many victims failing to contact authorities due to embarrassment.
Poor Mari….she’s my favorite. If I ever become a j-pop singer and part of the...
Shes definitely at the top of my hot list.
perfeckt 10:10
And this is easier than saying something…how?
October 25th, 2007 at 6:32 pmWow, it is so interesting that the level of embarrassment is so high. But I can understand. I was groped once in gym class and my reaction was to run and hide in the lockers
Of course, when I was groped as an adult, I turned around and told the offender to never do it again, so I guess I got over the embarrassment…but I can see where really shy people might hold onto that embarrassment for life. Certainly, there is a great deal of embarrassment and even guilt associated with more serious sex crimes.
October 26th, 2007 at 9:55 amI wonder how a man would feel if he got his ‘you know what’ groped, then squeezed, twisted & pinched all at the same time
… would it bring a smile 
to his face I think not.
October 26th, 2007 at 11:21 amActually I think there are places where men go seeking that sort of treatment… ;P
October 27th, 2007 at 9:00 amwell I suggest you keep wondering robin – because you’ll never-ever-know.
Arden.
October 27th, 2007 at 9:26 am