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App that allows passengers to silently raise alarm over train groping becomes big hit in Japan

Sexual harassment on public transport has been a growing issue in Japan - AP
Sexual harassment on public transport has been a growing issue in Japan - AP

A police app that scares off molesters has become a runaway hit in Japan, where women have long faced high levels of groping on packed rush-hour trains.

The free Digi Police App, created by Tokyo Metropolitan Police, aims to help women raise the alarm if confronted with molesters, in particular while commuting on trains.

The app can either blast out a loud voice shouting “stop it” or produce a full screen SOS message which victims can show other passengers reading: “There is a molester. Please help.”

Since launching three years ago, the app has attracted growing attention among Japanese women, with the number of downloads topping 237,000 and rising fast, according to Keiko Toyamine, a police official.

Key to the app’s success was the fact that it enabled even the most shy of victims to raise the alarm, according to experts.

Akiyoshi Saito, a social worker who has supported 800 former molesters through a rehabilitation programme, told AFP: “Molesters tend to target those who appear shy and reluctant to lodge a police complaint.”

“Thanks to its popularity, the number is increasing by some 10,000 every month,”  Keiko Toyamine  told AFP.

Highlighting how victims are often too scared to say anything when confronted by molesters on often-silent commuter trains, she added that the SOS message mode enables them to “notify other passengers about groping while remaining silent".

The problem of groping – known as chikan in Japanese – has soared over the years in Japan, despite initiatives such as women-only train cars which aim to create a safe haven for female commuters.

Close to 900 groping and harassment cases were reported on trains and subways in Tokyo in 2017, although the actual figure is expected to be significantly higher as many victims are reluctant to report incidents or press charges.

The Digi Police app was initially launched in 2016 as a tool for informing elderly people, parents and children about scams and prowlers, but its so-called “repel molester” quickly emerged as a key appeal.

The app also links to maps of nearby safe havens such as police stations, while users can also send emergency emails to families informing them if they are in danger and alerting them to their location.

The app was cast into the spotlight last year when a female pop idol who was assaulted reportedly spoke about it in an online conversation, fuelling a boom in sales, according to AFP.