Two Japanese women complaining of a group of men on a train failing to yield their seats to them have ignited a furore online after they denounced all Japanese men as “scum” and proceeded to post photographs of the men online in an effort to shame them.

The incident began when two women began complaining vociferously on Twitter about a lack of chivalry on the part of Japanese men, after four men apparently ignored them on a train rather than leaping to their feet and offering up their seats:

“Japan – where four young men won’t yield their seats to old and pregnant women.” “Japanese men are the lowest of the low.” “They wouldn’t give up their seats for two pregnant women. Despicable.” “I was stood in front of these bastards with Mai, two pregnant girls, and an old lady. That guy was looking at us. He wouldn’t give up his seat. There are hardly any good men in Japan. #assholes”

They also decided to publicly upload photographs of the offenders in an effort to shame them (all photos were originally posted with blurs or bars).





As some have noted, this may actually have constituted a criminal offence itself, as Japanese law grants strong likeness rights and there are also a wide variety of anti-voyeurism ordinances used randomly against men taking photographs of women in public.

Online all this has provoked a furore – and not just from the harpies on Twitter:

“Japanese men are all so tired though.” “Don’t try and force virtues onto people, scum.” “Tell it to the elderly on their way back from their latest picnic. Young people are stuck working themselves to death.” “Why didn’t these trashy women just tell them themselves?” “Ask them already, fatties.” “Shameless.” “The women didn’t give up their seats either. So why are only ‘Japanese men’ scum? She’s just saying what’s convenient to her views.” “They’re no worse than some Jap bitch who won’t ask them to give up their seats and instead tries to shame them in public on Twitter.” “Get over to the priority seating you scumbags.” [Japanese trains usually have priority seating specifically designated for the elderly and infirm] “Go find one of your precious women-only carriages.” “Exposing them like that is just low.” “Getting yourself knocked up is a choice, so don’t force people to do stuff for you. But people who are injured deserve sympathetic treatment.” “So she’s smoking and due to have kids? It’s clear where her priorities lie.” “So now we live in a mutual surveillance society? I’m afraid to go out…” “What’s with all those Japanese commenting on this whilst pretending to be foreigners?” “The women complaining:” [Taken from their various online postings]





















“Who’d give up their seat something like that.” “You can’t tell whether that one is obese or pregnant.” “She just looks obese to me.” “A tattoo?” “Ahhh, she even has a tattoo!” “Pointless ‘one-point’ tattoos like this are so tasteless. What kind of idiot tattoos a plane on their arm anyway?” “Harsh. She’s no woman.” “Poisonous creatures evolve gaudy appearances to warn others about themselves.From the looks of it, she’s deadly.” “She sounds like someone with a complex about westerners…” “I’ll only give up my seat to beautiful black-haired virgins. Die bitches.” “If there are many young women who won’t give up their seats, isn’t it sexist to blame only men for this?” “When did they make virtuous behaviour into a rule? If you force people to do it, it is not exactly virtuous. Japan is so full of people who think this way.” “Men who don’t yield their seats are scum, no doubt, but so are women who take photos of them like this.” “Isn’t this way equality of the sexes?” “Forcing kindness upon people. Disgusting.” “Leaving aside those four guys, how is this representative of all Japanese men?” “You can’t even let your guard down on a train now? What brave salarymen to travel on them.” “Is standing on a train that much of an ordeal?” “How many pregnant women have died from standing on a train? How many corporate slaves are worked to death every day?” “If you’re so desperate to sit then stay at home rather than on a train.” “They paid their fares just like you did!” “In a country which works salarymen as hard as Japan, it’s the elderly and pregnant who should be giving up their seats.” “It’s pretty unpleasant if you offer someone your seat and they refuse to take it though…” “A 46-year-old Chiba man was recently arrested for taking photos of a woman who fell asleep next to him on a train without permission, under anti-voyeurism ordinances.” “Of course, this only applies to men, not to women, yes?” “If a man did this to a woman you can bet he’d be arrested for a ‘peeping’ offence.” “Not giving up your seat is not a crime. Taking pictures of people without their consent is a crime. Both her brain and womb must be full of maggots.” “So she’s smoking and apparently drinking as well… isn’t that foetal abuse or something? Is she going to try and say women normally drink whilst pregnant in the west?” “If they can get away with this, will people give up their seats to me for being a virgin?”