How Do You Stop a Groper? Why, With Your Cell Phone!

Japanese commuter etiquette is a topic I'm sure I'll never fully understand, but I have heard that the cramped conditions on Tokyo subway trains often lead to problems between repressed salarymen and possibly too-demure female travelers packed together too tightly. That problem has a name: Groping.

Nearly 2,000 people were arrested for groping on Tokyo trains in 2005, but the problem is clearly far worse than that number would suggest, as few groping incidents are reported.

As well, many women feel uncomfortable speaking up in the middle of it all, even when they find themselves being actively molested in the sardine cans that take them to work. Now a solution has presented itself in the form of "Anti-Groping Appli," a program for cellular phones which, at the touch of a button, sounds a "warning chime" while displaying messages in bold print, such as, "Excuse me, did you just grope me?" "Groping is a crime," and "Shall we head to the police?" The woman is supposed to show her cell phone screen to the perpetrator, which will then force him to back off. If that fails, I guess she could actually use the phone to call the police, or simply bludgeon the groper with her handset.

Laugh all you want, but the free application is a top ten cell phone download in Japan at the moment. Now can we Americans get a cell phone app that displays "You're a terrible driver" that we can show to people who don't understand how stop signs work?

LINK: Cell phone message warns train gropers