Photo/Illutration Tokyo police officers look for gropers at JR Ochanomizu Station. (Shun Yoshimura)

Police are bolstering steps to prevent gropers from targeting university entrance exam takers who may remain silent about the act out of fear of being tardy for the tests.

The unified two-day exams are set to begin around the nation from Jan. 18.

In recent years, social media posts have proliferated during the exam season that suggest this demographic was easy prey for gropers on trains because the victims would not likely file a complaint to ensure they would be on time for their exam.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s increased efforts include issuing warnings on social media as well as proceeding with investigations after the exam if the victim so desires.

One Tokyo police officer on cyber-patrol duty noticed a post on Jan. 9 on X, formerly Twitter, that said, “Entrance exam day is a fine day for groping.”

That prompted the MPD to issue a warning that said: “Groping is a crime. It will never be tolerated.”

Tokyo police officials said such social media posts increase during winter when entrance exams begin.

Last year, in January and February, the MPD issued 51 warnings urging caution against groping.

The department is also encouraging use of a smartphone app that allows groping victims to discreetly send voice or written messages to those nearby asking for help.

Police officials said they would place priority on how the victim wants to proceed with the investigation.

If the victim wants to wait until after the entrance exam to cooperate with police, the questioning of the victim as well as an investigation into how the crime was carried out would be done after the test.

Police departments in other parts of the nation are also taking greater steps to deal with gropers. In total, about 3,300 police officers will be posted around train stations and on trains to keep an eye out for them.

At his Jan. 14 news conference, Manabu Sakai, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, said, “We hope victims will depend on police rather than remain silent about what happened.”

The National Police Agency for the first time has produced short videos about groping featuring the fashion model Peco.

The videos, ranging from 15 to 30 seconds, will run on trains and in stations.

In one, Peco says to victims of groping: “You’re scared and worried. But please raise your voice.”

In another longer video of about 30 seconds posted to the NPA’s website, Peco says, “Groping is a crime so it cannot be tolerated.”

She goes on to say, “For those thinking about groping or interested in it, you are despicable and cowardly.”

In 2023, police departments around Japan detained 2,254 gropers, an increase of 21 from the previous year. About half of the crimes were committed in trains, with about 30 percent taking place between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., when the victims were heading to school.

The government-affiliated National Center for University Entrance Examinations has posted a notice on its website saying victims of groping can take an alternative test on Jan. 25-26.

(This article was written by Shun Yoshimura and Daichi Itakura.)　

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