chikan1

Japan is pretty famous for its packed trains that invite occasional chikan (groping incidents). Luckily, in light of improving rights for women in Japan, the law of late tends to come down pretty hard on train gropers. Assuming a victim or a witness to such a crime speaks up about it, a perpetrator typically faces immediate arrest at the next train station and can probably expect to do some jail time.

While this system works pretty well for the most part, it’s not unheard of for some unlucky guys to face career and life-destroying consequences after being falsely accused of groping. One Japanese Twitter user, in fact, posted a series of Tweets detailing a close call he had himself, relating that he was almost certainly destined for the slammer if he hadn’t been saved by the alleged victim herself.

Twitter user @kuro_todo says he was riding the train on the morning of May 18 when another male passenger suddenly – and very publicly – accused him of groping a woman near him on the train. The male passenger then apparently demanded kuro_todo accompany him to the police station at the next stop.

But the hapless (self-proclaimed) otaku was apparently saved in the nick of time when the alleged victim came to his aid in a surreal twist of fate.

Here’s the Twitter user telling his story:

“I was riding the train today on my usual route to work. Crowded as always. A girl got on the train and stood in front of me. Suddenly this old guy shouted, ‘You! In the glasses! I saw you grope that girl!'”

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/600076045623001088

“The old guy tells me he’s going to escort me to the police station at the next stop and says he saw me touch the girl’s butt with the hand I was holding my bag in. What a drag.”

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/600077079577636864

“But the girl smiles and tells the old guy that we’re just playing around! She gets off the train with me at the next station, says, ‘See you later!’ and gives me a hug for some reason! I was so stunned I had to sit down for a while.”

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/600079137026363392

“The whole situation was like something out of a manga!”

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/600079210829381632

The Twitter user goes on to turn the situation into a teachable moment, subsequently tweeting that the woman almost certainly wouldn’t have stuck her neck out for him if not for the fact that he takes the time for proper grooming, cares about his sartorial choices, and doesn’t look like your standard, creepy otaku.

“Otaku friends,” he goes on to say, “Remember to spend a little money and time on looking good. It might save you some day!”

It’s probably worth pointing out that this whole story is just a small series of tweets and that kuro_todo offers up no solid evidence that it even happened at all, so this could very well be some kind of made up brag; the social media-age equivalent of that kid on the playground who gloats about his hot girlfriend who, wouldn’t you know it, happens to live in Canada so he can’t introduce you.

Still, assuming the story is true, good on the true hero of this story: the alleged victim that handled things with incredible tact and grace and could have just prevented an innocent man having his entire life turned upside-down.

Source: My Game News Flash
Feature photo: Wikimedia Commons