Down The Middle News: Tokyo court rules on high-profile journalist rape case

A Tokyo court docket will Wednesday rule on a damages lawsuit by journalist Shiori Ito, who has accused a former TV anchor with shut ties to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of rape.

Ito, 30, is searching for 11 million yen ($100,000) in compensation from former reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi, claiming he raped her after inviting her to dinner to debate a job alternative in 2015.

The case has made headlines in Japan and overseas, as it’s uncommon for rape victims to report the crime to the police — in response to a 2017 authorities survey, solely 4 p.c of ladies come ahead.

And Ito turned an outspoken image for “#MeToo” in Japan, the place the motion towards sexual harassment and abuse has struggled to take maintain.

Yamaguchi denies any wrongdoing and has filed a counter-suit towards Ito, searching for 130 million yen in compensation. The court docket may also rule on this case on Wednesday.

“In Japanese tradition, struggling in silence is taken into account as noble,” Ito advised AFP in a latest interview.

“I used to be flooded with insults and threats. However what grabbed me probably the most was these very well mannered emails from girls telling me how ashamed I needs to be for revealing all the pieces,” she mentioned.

Ito suspects her alleged attacker drugged her and claims police failed to check for substances.

“Once I regained consciousness, in intense ache, I used to be in a resort room and he was on prime of me. I knew what had occurred however I couldn’t course of it.”

The police, who took weeks to open a felony investigation, advised Ito they have been going to arrest Yamaguchi, she mentioned — earlier than they out of the blue backed off.

Ito launched a e-book about her ordeal in 2017, the 12 months she broke her silence.

Yamaguchi is countersuing, saying his popularity has been broken by the accusations.

Japan hiked minimal jail phrases for rapists from three to 5 years and widened the definition of sexual assault victims to incorporate males for the primary time in 2017.

Lawmakers determined unanimously to replace the 1907 statute to impose more durable penalties on intercourse attackers and make prosecutions simpler, as they appear to spice up Japan’s low variety of convictions.

Picture: AFP/File / Behrouz MEHRI

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