Doctor arrested for exposing himself on bullet train

While train gropers (chikan) are a well-known problem in Japan, people exposing themselves (particularly men to younger women) is another variant that combines the thrill of exhibitionism with the crueler fetish of enjoying the discomfort it induces on a vulnerable woman.

The classic choice of locations for such flashing is a public park, but it is also often done on a crowded train where the victim has no way to escape.

A train like the Shinkansen, which provides high-speed, long-distance rail services across Japan, might seem like an illogical choice. After exposing himself, the man has little means of escaping the train and the Shinkansen has far greater security measures in place than regular trains, including plenty of cameras.

And so we are not surprised to hear that a man who had exposed himself on a Tohoku Shinkansen train found himself arrested.

What is surprising, though, is that the man is a doctor who works at a public hospital. The 38-year-old physician from Kikutamachi in Koriyama, Fukushima, was arrested for public indecency. According to a report last week by TBS, the man is suspected of exposing himself on a Shinkansen train running between Koriyama and Shin-Shirakawa stations on the afternoon of May 24.

Other passengers saw him exposing himself and the train operator, JR, then informed police, who launched an investigation and used security footage to identify the man.

The doctor has admitted the allegations.

Apparently, Shinkansen exposure and flashing incidents are not totally unheard of: another man was arrested for a similar incident on the Hokuriku Shinkansen last September.

The porn star Sora Amagawa prompted a minor controversy in November last year when she posted a pic on social media showing the alluring performer sleeping on a Shinkansen train, wearing a short skirt and with her legs provocatively spread. The photo itself did not show her panties but the pose would presumably allow passersby to see her underwear.

Considering how staged the photo surely was, some accused her of public indecency. More damningly, the photo was accompanied by a video in which the person filming (seemingly a woman, judging by the hand) was shown reaching over and lifting up Amagawa’s skirt to show her panties.

The publicity stunt certainly worked: the post received 7 million views.