TOKYO -- The Cabinet Office's Gender Equality Bureau on July 4 released the results of its first-ever online survey on molestation of young people in Japan, which found that 13.6% of female and 3.6% of male respondents had been groped in the past.

The "screening study" conducted in February on registered monitors aged from 16 to 29 received valid responses from 36,231 individuals (24,566 women, 11,200 men and 465 others). Of these, 10.5%, or 3,804 people (3,348 women, 404 men and 52 others), said they had experienced being molested, indicating that approximately one in 10 people has been a victim of sexual violence.

The study, aimed at understanding the actual situation faced by victims, received 2,346 valid responses, revealing that nearly half, or 46.4%, of the respondents were between the ages of 16 and 19 when they were groped for the first time, while 35.4% were 15 years old or younger.

Regarding recent incidents, 62.8% of victims were groped "on the train" -- the most common location. Many of them were on their way to school (32.2%) or going home (31.5%). There was a noticeable increase in cases during commuting hours such as "from 6 to 9 a.m." (34.5%) and "from 6 to 9 p.m." (18.2%). Perpetrators were of the opposite sex in 85.2% of cases. In 4.3% of cases they were of the same sex and in 10.6% their gender was unknown.

To a question allowing multiple answers asking whether or not the victims contacted the police or other authorities, only 9.9% said they "notified the police immediately after the incident" while the majority, or 80.4%, said they "did not notify the police or officials of other authorities concerned." The most common answer to a multiple-response question asking why they didn't report the case to the police, was "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it" at 41.1%.

Responses to a question regarding the impact of molestation, which allowed multiple answers, included "becoming afraid to go outside" (17.5%), "having flashbacks of the incident" (14.6%), "becoming afraid to interact with the opposite sex" (13.1%), and "experiencing physical or mental distress" (10.5%).

The Cabinet Office, together with the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, formulated a "policy package to eradicate groping" in March 2023. Efforts are being made to understand the actual situation, offer support to victims, and promote a change in society's awareness.

Hirokazu Tanaka, head of the Gender Equality Bureau's gender-based violence prevention section, urged, "As many of the incidents occur while victims are on their way to school, appropriate measures are required at schools. We also encourage the use of crime prevention apps released by the police (that allow users to seek help by displaying phone screens and playing audio messages)."

(Japanese original by Akiko Yamazaki, Digital News Group)