Lots of of blade-resistant umbrellas will quickly be deployed on Japanese trains to spice up passenger security following a sequence of knife assaults. A Japanese firm is ready to introduce round 1,200 stab-proof, light-weight umbrellas on 600 trains within the Kansai area. These umbrellas are about 20cm longer than commonplace ones, that includes strengthened canopies and thicker handles for enhanced safety, the South China Morning Put up reported.Â
This initiative by West Japan Railway Co (JR West) is available in response to a number of violent incidents on trains, together with a knife assault in July 2023 that left three passengers injured. In a separate incident final 12 months, a 37-year-old man was arrested after stabbing three individuals on a practice in Osaka.
The attacker, who was discovered carrying three knives, was arrested at Rinku City station shortly after the assault. The victims, together with a practice conductor in his 20s and two male passengers aged 23 and 79, have been hospitalised however didn’t endure life-threatening accidents.
In keeping with Mainichi, the blade-proof umbrellas are designed to behave as shields within the occasion of an assault, extending about 20cm longer than common umbrellas to assist create distance between the consumer and the assailant.
The added size of those umbrellas is meant to supply passengers behind the protect additional time to flee to security.
A JR West official acknowledged, “Earlier protecting shields have been cumbersome and designed for close-range use. We have developed a protect that is light-weight and simpler for feminine workers to deal with.”
The umbrella-like design makes it extra compact, light-weight, and simpler to retailer and use in comparison with different protection instruments, similar to the standard Japanese sasumata-a lengthy forked polearm-which was used throughout an tried theft in Tokyo late final 12 months.
JR West president, Kazuaki Hasegawa, acknowledged, “These umbrellas will be successfully used inside a practice carriage and are sturdy. In an emergency, we would like the crew to reply shortly and guarantee passengers evacuate safely.”
Whereas violent crimes are unusual in Japan, current considerations over random knife assaults have led practice operators to step up safety measures, similar to putting in extra cameras and conducting security drills.
“We’ll proceed to reinforce passenger security forward of subsequent 12 months’s Osaka-Kansai Expo,” a JR West official informed The Japan Information.
