So why are Japanese people being arrested and going to prison for touching butts in public trains then?
Well, according to lawyers in Tokyo¹, it was always difficult to arrest people in Japan for touching butts in public trains because the closest law for that was 強制わいせつ (Indecency through Compulsion) and that one needed the indecency to come with intimidation or force. (for example, "I'll shoot your head with this gun if you don't let me touch your butt" is a federal crime, but "I'm touching your butt because I wanted to" isn't). However, in the recent years, Japanese Prefectures has started implementing Prefectural Laws (known as "Ordinances" in law jargon; basically equivalent to the "State Laws" in US) that prohibits butt touching. These laws, usually called 迷惑防止条例 "Nuisance Prevention Ordinances" or something similar, has been around for a while (since 1962), but the addition of butt touching prevention is recent. While the exact name of the ordinances and its code differs from prefecture to prefecture, this one here is an excerpt from the Tokyo Prefecture's "Ordinance on the Prevention of Violent and Delinquent Behavior that causes Serious Inconveniences to the Public":Article 5: No person shall, without justifiable reason, commit any of the following acts which cause another person to feel extremely embarrassed or anxious: 1. Touching another person's body, either directly or over the clothing or other clothing worn in a public place or on public conveyance.The penalty for touching people's butts in Tokyo Metro is up to 6 months imprisonment or fine up to ¥50 0000 (≈ $5 000) for first offense, and up to one year imprisonment or fine up to ¥100 0000 (≈ $10 000). Not 15 years!
@elly@donotsta.re To be honest, I think trains should have talking allowed ones and quiet ones. Speakers are annoying for sure, but sometimes I feel the trains in Tokyo takes the "be quiet" thing a bit too far... I think the transit in Osaka is a nice medium: you don't have kids playing TikToks on speakers, but the atmosphere isn't as, say, "heavy" as Tokyo where you can't even chit-chat with your friends.
As I scroll through the Fedi in public transit, I got scared everytime a cute anime drawing came up, thinking I might be shot on the spot. But then I realized, I wasn't in the US anymore. I'm in Japan. The country of cute anime drawings. This doesn't mean you should be reading hentai in broad daylight or anything, but I guess my point is that, it's kinda nice to know that you don't have to worry about getting shot down in public for looking at some of the images posted in the Fediverse...