I lived and worked in Tokyo from 1996 to 2004. I agree with Sumire Shigehara -- the writer of the Sept. 14 letter "Women-only train cars are shameful" -- that Japan's public transportation is far superior to that of any city in the United States. However, while I understand that women-only cars may at times make the rush-hour commute more difficult, how in any way does this condition make the establishment of sexually segregated train cars shameful?
The letter implies that women are dishonest if they claim that they have been molested on a rush-hour train. This further implies that a woman's complaint of being groped is what's truly shameful, rather than the act of molestation itself. This suggestion is bolstered by Shigehara's opinion that women have an advantage in court when accusing a man.
In the U.S., there is zero public tolerance of a man molesting a woman. The "shameful" element of this issue seems to be that too many Japanese men and women look the other way when a pervert gropes a woman within eyesight.
I know very well that train cars are crowded to the degree that people can't move or turn around, and that a woman in that situation often cannot be certain who groped her. However, people who are near the man and witness the groping could intervene to stop it, or at least express outrage.
It is "shameful" that women in Japan are left with the embarrassing final alternative of having to file a complaint with the police or train personnel. If people on the train acted with honor, there should be zero tolerance of "shameful" behavior.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.