TOKYO (TR) – East Japan Railway plans to install cameras inside carriages of the Yamanote Line in an effort to impede gropers and improve security, the company revealed on Tuesday, reports Fuji News Network (June 6).
Beginning in the summer of 2018, the operator will begin installing four cameras inside 550 carriages of the Yamanote Line, which circles the capital, with the completion targeting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020. The cost is expected to be 2 billion yen.
The announcement of the initiative follows a string of incidents whereby passengers accused of groping women inside carriages have fled by jumping on the tracks. The installation is intended to restrict the activities of such perpetrators and serve as an anti-terrorist measure, the company said.
“[With crimes on the rise] improving the level of security is necessary,” said Tetsuro Tomita, the chairman of JR East, at a press conference.
The company added that measures will be taken to ensure that the privacy of passengers is protected.
