Police in Tokyo have launched a campaign to prevent students from being groped on trains ahead of Japan¡¯s school entrance exam season, beginning with college entrance exams taking place this weekend.

Tweets have circulated during the past few years, stating that the annual two-day unified university entrance exam represents ¡°opportune days for groping,¡± when victims would be less willing to resist or report incidents to the police out of concern of being late for the test.

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government¡¯s transportation bureau, operator of the Toei subway lines, gathered at Shinjuku subway station to hand out flyers stating that ¡°Groping is a crime.¡±

The campaign will run through March 10 during the annual school entrance exam season.

In the meantime, the two organizations will beef up security at stations, put up new posters and broadcast awareness messaging throughout stations and trains, as well as on social media.

According to the police department, groping incidents are common during the rush-hour period of 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. To avoid becoming a victim, it suggests that passengers avoid overly crowded train cars and use women-only carriages where available.

The department also suggests groping victims request help from other passengers using its Digi Police app, which includes silent and audible functions designed to request for help via smartphone. Anyone who believes they¡¯ve witnessed a groping incident can also use the app to silently ask a victim if they need help.

But most importantly, the cooperation and help of all surrounding passengers is crucial when incidents occur, said Satomi Tokuda, an official at the metropolitan government¡¯s transportation bureau.

While the bureau tallies reports of groping incidents, Tokuda added that it¡¯s difficult to say whether cases increase during exam season. Regardless, the metropolitan government is taking action as a means of precaution.

¡°We¡¯re implementing this campaign in order to build an environment in which all passengers can ride the Toei subway with peace of mind,¡± Tokuda said.