Japan's solution to knife attacks on trains? Extra-long umbrellas with canopies
Japan trains
A string of knife attacks has prompted a Japanese rail division to come up with a unique idea to help people fend them off. Hundreds of blade-resistant umbrellas will be deployed on Japanese trains that can help passengers shield themselves in case such an incident breaks out.
Reports suggest that a Japanese company will deploy nearly 1,200 stab-proof, lightweight umbrellas on 600 trains in the Kansai region. These umbrellas will be 20 cm longer than the regular umbrellas. They will have canopies and thicker handles to enable better defence.
The initiative has been taken by the West Japan Railway Co (JR West) after several violent incidents took place on the trains. In July 2023, a stabbing incident on a train in Osaka injured three passengers. A 37-year-old man was arrested with three knives in connection with the attacks.
A train conductor and two male passengers, aged 23 and 79, were injured in the incident.
According to Japanese news outlet Mainichi, the umbrellas will be able to shield people against the knives. They are meant to be used as a shield against an assailant and their extra length of 20 cm as compared to a regular umbrella will help keep a safe distance between the holder and the attacker.
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The passenger can make use of the distance to run to a safe area.
Umbrellaswill give victims time to run away
A JR West official said that the umbrellas will be better than the current shields. "The protective shields that have been deployed until now were close-range and heavy. We have devised a shield that is also easy for female employees to use."
A traditional Japanese weapon called sasumata – a long forked polearm – has often been used to defend oneself, and was used during an attempted robbery in Tokyo late last year.
But the new umbrellas will be better as they will be more compact, lightweight, and easier to store.
JR West president, Kazuaki Hasegawa, said, "They can be operated to some extent inside a carriage and are strong. In the event of an emergency, we want the crew to respond and have the passengers evacuate safely."
