TOKYO More than 70 percent of female students at two high schools in Japan's capital have been groped on trains, the Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.

It said the survey was conducted of 400 girls at the two private schools in Tokyo by a civic group set up to fight sexual molestation on trains.

Groping has long been a problem in Tokyo, where rush hour buses and subway trains are often packed with commuters.

Asked what counter measures should be taken, about 41 percent of the girls said they wanted harsher punishment for gropers, 29 percent said they wanted women-only carriages and 21 percent called for steps to alleviate rush-hour congestion.

Those found guilty of groping can currently be fined up to 50,000 yen ($433) or be held in police custody, an official at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police said.

(Reuter)