JR West Develops Knife-Resistant Umbrella to Protect Passengers; Company Upping Security Ahead of Osaka-Kansai Expo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:39 JST, October 22, 2024

OSAKA — West Japan Railway Co. has developed a stab-resistant umbrella that will be used to protect passengers and crew members from knife-wielding assailants on trains.

JR West will from November start placing two of these protective umbrellas in crew cabins on about 600 trains running on conventional lines in the Kinki region, which includes Osaka and Kyoto.

Each umbrella is about one meter long and has a diameter of about 1.1 meters when opened. Covered in a special material that is difficult for blades to cut, the opened umbrella can help protect the holder from being slashed.

The umbrella weighs about 700 grams, which is considerably lighter than shields and other similar protective equipment. The meshed fabric also allows the holder to look through the umbrella and keep an eye on the assailant.

In July 2023, a knife-wielding man stabbed three people, including two passengers, on a JR Kansai Airport Line train in Osaka Prefecture. JR West has been equipping some of its trains with protective equipment such as shields, stab-resistant vests and stab-resistant gloves, but the railway operator developed an umbrella that will be easier to use.

“We’ll make additional efforts to improve the safety of our passengers ahead of next year’s Osaka-Kansai Expo,” a JR West official said.