Critics question the necessity of safe zones for women. Passengers say a culture of ‘chikan’ abuse makes them vital
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenJulian RyallPublished: 8:00am, 15 Jun 2026Mariko was a teenager the day she found herself alone in a near-empty carriage with a man who sat across from her, exposed himself and began to masturbate.
Terrified that fleeing or crying out might provoke something worse, she fixed her gaze elsewhere and waited for the next station.
“There was nothing I could do,” said Mariko, now 33, who asked that her family name not be published. “I was terrified that he might attack me, so I kept quiet.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the formal reintroduction of women-only carriages on Japan’s rail network – they were previously a feature in the post-war period before being discontinued in 1973 in favour of priority seating – and the Mainichi newspaper chose the occasion to ask aloud, on June 5, whether they are still necessary.
