Japan’s problem with rape comes to light even as journalist Shiori Ito wins civil suit against her attacker

JAPAN, Tokyo, December 23, 2019 — We welcome a Tokyo civil court’s landmark decision to rule in favor of our colleague journalist Shiori Ito, who boldly filed a rape lawsuit against a senior reporter in the country, Noriyuki Yamaguchi. However, we believe that much change is needed in the country’s legal system before victims of sexual assault can truly feel safe.

Meanwhile, we are encouraged by Shiori’s audacious move, who took this to the court despite the difficulties and isolation she has faced. “Women journalists face severe consequences for raising their voice and we support Shiori’s move to approach this legally in one of the landmark cases in Japan and the world,” said our founder Kiran Nazish.“

For women journalists to take this stance often comes with insurmountable difficulties and we have noticed sexual harassment is often buried under the rug both by newsrooms, industry colleagues and female reporters who are targeted,” she added.

Some intricate details about her four year struggle:

Shiori’s fight over this case began in 2015, and has come to a close after four years. Noriyuki Yamaguchi has been ordered to pay $30,000 to Shiori in damages. A counter defamation suit by the culprit was also thrown out by the court, which noted that Shiori’s speaking out about the assault was not slanderous, and more of a public service.

The CFWIJ has frequently documented cases of sexual assault and violence against women journalists. The level of impunity enjoyed by the accused is abysmal.

In April 2015, Shiori was asked by the senior journalist to join her for dinner to discuss her career. A few drinks later she blacked out only to awaken and find herself being raped.

Several fractures in the legal system came to light since the journalist decided to legally pursue Noriyuki Yamaguchi. When she approached the police with her complaint five days after the assault, they put her through further torture and trauma by asking her to reenact her ordeal with dolls.

Prosecutors handling the case eventually dropped it citing lack of evidence. An appeal by Shiori also failed to result in any charge against Noriyuki Yamaguchi. A warrant with his name on it was chucked after a high-ranking police bureaucrat intervened.

In 2017, she went public with her story, launching the country into its own #MeToo movement. She swiftly became an icon, forcing both Japanese men and women to readdress their attitudes towards rape and sexual assault.“I really believe this was a landmark case for Japanese sex crime,” Shiori said during a conference recently, adding that she was surprised at the positive outcome.

Her assaulter is a big name in Japan; Noriyuki Yamaguchi has been called Japan’s Weinstein. He’s not only written a biography about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but is considered a close friend to him. A very senior TV Journalist, Noriyuki has serious clout in the industry.

“While we welcome the civil court’s decision in her favour, we must also note that the country’s legal structures failed Shiori. This was not an easy case to win in a country like Japan,” said Luavut Zahid, global coordinator for CFWIJ.

According to a 2017 survey, around 95% of sexual assault victims do not report what happened to them. Authorities do not encourage reporting, making the already painful and traumatic experience much much worse.

In our observation of the case, we have noticed that going public wasn’t easy for the journalist. CFWIJ would like to point out that along with great praise for starting #MeToo in Japan was accompanied by an unprecedented number of abuse and threats. Putting herself out into the open has also come at a cost that we urge, must be acknowledged.

Even today, Shiori’s rapist walks free of any charges of rape. He is getting an easier way out with just a fine, when he should have instead had to face the music in prison.

We urge authorities to revisit not only the weak laws that govern issues such as this one, but to also re-exam the process of reporting sexual assault. What good are legal structures if 95% of the people they are intended for choose to instead be silent.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

For more information please visit www.womeninjournalism.org.

Press Inquiries: press@womeninjournalism.org

Turkey & MENA Coordinator: damla@womeninjournalism.org.