Japanese men wrongfully accused of being a chikan can now get insurance to cover their legal fees should they dare to protest the accusations, bound to relieve men who might otherwise be fast-tracked into a confession based on the infallible testimony of a woman on a packed train.
Those who possess this insurance are ensured immediate legal advice should they be accused of groping or other sexual wrongdoings, and contacting the insurance company will summon a lawyer to the incident location.
The president of the Japan Small Amount and Short Term Insurance company originally introduced this opportunity in 2015 following the popularity of a movie based upon a man being falsely labeled as a chikan, though few initially signed up – it was not until recently that hundreds of people have been seizing the deal on a monthly basis.
The insurance costs about ¥6,400 (about $58) a year and only covers the lawyer’s fees for the 48 hours after his summons, although this might be viewed as a small price to pay for a avoiding potentially career ending conviction.
Fortunately it seems the insurance payout is unaffected by the success of the defense – although it may only be a matter of time before women have access to chikan counter-insurance and the whole situation spirals deeper into absurdity.
Can the man also accuse woman of groping? That would be fun.
hahaha… this reminded me of “Chikan no Licence” XDDDD
Lolicon insurance when?
Absolutely preposterous and predatorial. Terrible news.
Still, it’s understandable. I remember a few years ago, in Japan, they were talking about the issue of false groping accusations and there was a lawyer in the studio. His advice if you’re falsely called a chikan? RUN. RUN BEFORE THE COPS ARRIVE.
You know the legal system is fucked up when even lawyers don’t trust it being fair.
I think i need the insurance