TOKYO -- A Japanese man in his 50s with low vision who has had seven white canes broken in the past 15 years is now determined not to remain silent about violence against him and other similar people even though many still feel helpless.

In September in Tokyo the man was suddenly kicked from behind at a subway station by an assailant he could not see. Blind or partially sighted people who are the victims of similar attacks often choose to remain silent. This time, however, his action led to the suspect's arrest. Looking back on the incident, the man said, "I want people to know that many with blindness or low vision have experienced being verbally abused or having their white canes broken."

Attacked at a station restroom

According to the man, he stopped by a multipurpose restroom on a platform at the Toei Subway's Jimbocho Station in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward by himself on the evening of Sept. 3. He has an intractable retinal disease and is only able to distinguish light and dark. In front of the restroom he often uses, he slid his white cane left and right and realized that its door was closed. He waited while holding the cane against the door.

After the door opened, he entered the restroom. Suddenly he felt a shock from behind and stumbled forward. He firmly grabbed his white cane and hung on, but his backpack slid off his back for a moment and off his shoulders. He did not understand what had happened, but then thought he had been kicked.

The man asked "Who did it!?" and called out loudly for station staff while walking on the platform's tactile paving. He asked a station attendant what time it was and to call the police. Officers arrived in about five minutes. The man was not injured, and his cane was safe.

Security camera captured the attack

About a month later, a suspect in his 30s was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on suspicion of assault. According to the MPD's Kanda Police Station, the suspect was using the toilet when he heard the sound of the white cane hitting the door and was quoted as telling investigators, "I stopped relieving myself halfway through because I felt I was being hurried."

Although the suspect generally admitted to the allegations, he also apparently said, "I kicked his backpack, but I don't remember kicking his body," and, "When I opened the restroom door, I remember seeing an old man carrying a backpack with a cane, but I didn't know he was a person with low vision." The police released the suspect and are continuing their investigation on a voluntary basis.

In this case, a nearby security camera captured the whole scene. The police station said, "The presence of the security camera was a significant factor (in the arrest)." However, since security cameras can only store images for certain periods, police are urging the public to "report incidents as soon as possible without hesitation."

They are all helpless

The victim recalling the incident with anger was worried until the suspect's arrest that he would be subjected to the same situation again.

Though it was the first time he had been subjected to such violence, he has had seven white canes broken so far since he started using one about 15 years ago. The canes broke after they were caught in the wheels of bicycles and cars and after collisions with pedestrians. In most cases, the other party fled without saying anything.

The man has also bumped into people standing on tactile pavements and was told to "get out of the way" or "walk faster." Though he struggled to say anything at first, the man changed his mind to speak up after the stabbing of a guide dog in Saitama Prefecture about 10 years ago and an incident in which a female student at a school for people with blindness or low vision was kicked in the leg on a tactile pavement. His brave actions led to the arrest of the suspect in the Tokyo assault.

When he told his blind or partially sighted acquaintances about the assault, some of them said they had been verbally abused or punched after bumping into others. One woman had even experienced being held in someone's arms. The man emphasized, "They are everyday occurrences, and those affected are forced to bear the events silently. Therefore, I want people, those with low vision and those with normal eyesight, to know about my experience."

'Have the courage to take action

According to the Tokyo-based Japan Federation of the Visually Impaired, of the approximately 2,000 consultations it receives each year, only a few cases involve problems such as "My white cane got caught in a car and broke" and "I was told off about bumping into a parked car while walking with a white cane." It is thought that there are many cases of victimization where they don't consult with the group.

Yoshiki Takeshita, 73, a lawyer and the chairperson of the federation, also has many experiences of having his white cane broken and the person who caused the damage fleeing. In response to the recent incident at the subway station, Takeshita said, "I hope that such an unreasonable lack of understanding will be eliminated, the safety of the people with blindness or low vision will be protected, and they will no longer be made to feel miserable." He added, "If you are victimized, I hope you will have the courage to take action, such as filing a damage report, in order to change society."

(Japanese original by Hitomi Tanimoto, Tokyo Staff, Braille Mainichi Department; and Atsushi Matsumoto, Tokyo City News Department)