In her letter, Sumire Shigehara states that women-only train cars in India were adopted for "religious reasons."
Actually, these cars were established in response to a common practice known as "Eve-teasing," a euphemism for sexual harassment of women. In the super-crowded trains in India, Eve-teasing was such a problem that the authorities established special cars for women to allow them some peace on their daily commutes.
Women-only train cars also exist in Mexico, Egypt, Brazil, the Philippines, and will start next year in South Korea. The first women-only train car in Japan began in 1912. Groping on trains is not a new problem. Groping is a form of sexual harassment, or unwelcome sexual attention. Have some men been unjustly accused? Probably, as in every system, but let's not continue to blame the victims of this social evil.
I ride the Tokyo trains and have yet to see men with "their hands raised" to avoid accusations, as Shigehara stated. Men who respect women keep their hands to themselves. The others take their chances. Women shouldn't have to suffer this anxiety every time they board a train.
When Japanese society wholeheartedly condemns the groping of women on trains, the incidence will decline. Separate but equal is not desirable, but the policy may be necessary for the time being.
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