Fukushima (Japan) (AFP) – Three Japanese ex-soldiers were found guilty Tuesday but given only suspended jail sentences for sexually assaulting a female colleague who won praise but also online hate for going public with her accusations.
AFP
Issued on: 12/12/2023
Rina Gonoi, 24, received both praise and vitriol when she took to YouTube to share her account after the military dropped its inquiry
© Philip FONG / AFP/File
Rina Gonoi, 24, broke the mould by speaking out publicly last year about her ordeal in 2021 in a country where the #MeToo movement failed to gain much ground and where many sexual assault victims are too scared to come forward.
On Tuesday she expressed satisfaction after Shutaro Shibuya, Akito Sekine and Yusuke Kimezawa were sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years, for what the judge called their "despicable and malicious" acts.
"What they did should not be forgiven even if they say it was only to get a laugh out of it. The verdict clearly ruled that it was a crime. I want them to face up to what they did and think about it," Gonoi said outside the court.
"There are many people out there who cannot speak up, who cannot fight over assaults like this. I was able to make the precedent," she told reporters.
"It was not necessarily a heavy sentence that I wanted to see. It was that they truly understand it was a crime, sexual violence, not something casual as they claimed."
'Desperate not brave'
In February Gonoi had told AFP in an interview that her decision to go public with her accusations after an internal military probe was dropped was "desperate rather than brave".
The public attention from the viral YouTube video and a petition signed by more than 100,000 people forced the defence ministry to acknowledge the assault and apologise.
This March, prosecutors reversed an earlier decision and charged the three men.
Gonoi said that after fulfilling a childhood dream and enlisting in 2020, she experienced daily harassment.
"When walking down the hallway, someone slaps you on your hip, or holds you from behind," she told AFP.
"I was kissed on the cheek, and my breasts were grabbed."
Then, during a drill in 2021, she says three colleagues pressed her to the ground, forced apart her legs and each repeatedly pressed their crotches against her while others watched and laughed.
Judge Takaaki Miura told the court on Tuesday that "shaking one's hip between the legs of the victim has stong sexual meaning" and "ignores the victim's dignity" and is a "despicable and malicious act".
Rina Gonoi, 24, broke the mould by speaking out publicly last year about her ordeal in 2021 in a country where the #MeToo movement failed to gain much ground and where many sexual assault victims are too scared to come forward.
On Tuesday she expressed satisfaction after Shutaro Shibuya, Akito Sekine and Yusuke Kimezawa were sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years, for what the judge called their "despicable and malicious" acts.
"What they did should not be forgiven even if they say it was only to get a laugh out of it. The verdict clearly ruled that it was a crime. I want them to face up to what they did and think about it," Gonoi said outside the court.
"There are many people out there who cannot speak up, who cannot fight over assaults like this. I was able to make the precedent," she told reporters.
"It was not necessarily a heavy sentence that I wanted to see. It was that they truly understand it was a crime, sexual violence, not something casual as they claimed."
'Desperate not brave'
In February Gonoi had told AFP in an interview that her decision to go public with her accusations after an internal military probe was dropped was "desperate rather than brave".
The public attention from the viral YouTube video and a petition signed by more than 100,000 people forced the defence ministry to acknowledge the assault and apologise.
This March, prosecutors reversed an earlier decision and charged the three men.
Gonoi said that after fulfilling a childhood dream and enlisting in 2020, she experienced daily harassment.
"When walking down the hallway, someone slaps you on your hip, or holds you from behind," she told AFP.
"I was kissed on the cheek, and my breasts were grabbed."
Then, during a drill in 2021, she says three colleagues pressed her to the ground, forced apart her legs and each repeatedly pressed their crotches against her while others watched and laughed.
Judge Takaaki Miura told the court on Tuesday that "shaking one's hip between the legs of the victim has stong sexual meaning" and "ignores the victim's dignity" and is a "despicable and malicious act".
'Stigma and shame'
Women rarely hold positions in the upper echelons of Japanese politics, business, government and military. The country's gender pay gap is the worst among advanced economies.
Prominent cases such as Gonoi's -- and a handful of others like that of journalist Shiori Ito, who accused a prominent TV reporter of rape -- are rare.
Rina Gonoi told AFP in February that her decision to go public was 'desperate rather than brave'
© Philip FONG / AFP/File
"While there are still areas of improvement (within society), today's ruling is a welcome sign that the voices of survivors of sexual violence in Japan will not go unheard, and that accountability for such rights abuses is possible," Teppei Kasai, Asia programme officer for Human Rights Watch, told AFP on Tuesday.
A 2021 government survey showed that about six percent of assault victims, men and women, went to the police, while nearly half of women respondents said they could not because of "embarrassment", Kasai had said last week.
"While there are still areas of improvement (within society), today's ruling is a welcome sign that the voices of survivors of sexual violence in Japan will not go unheard, and that accountability for such rights abuses is possible," Teppei Kasai, Asia programme officer for Human Rights Watch, told AFP on Tuesday.
A 2021 government survey showed that about six percent of assault victims, men and women, went to the police, while nearly half of women respondents said they could not because of "embarrassment", Kasai had said last week.
Stricter laws
Inspired by Gonoi, however, more than 1,400 women and men have submitted their allegations of sexual harassment and bullying in the military following a special inspection by the defence ministry.
This June, Japan passed legislation redefining rape, including removing the requirement that victims prove they had sought to resist their attacker.
But Gonoi, who is suing her alleged attackers and the government in a parallel civil case, received a torrent of vitriol online after coming forward.
"I was prepared for defamation, but it's tough," she told AFP, saying at one point it got so bad she did not leave her home for five days.
"There's something wrong with Japan -- people attack victims instead of perpetrators."
© 2023 AFP
Rina Gonoi: Japan soldiers found guilty of sexual assault
The case has put a spotlight on the problem of sexual violence and harassment within the Japanese military.
A court in Japan on Tuesday found three former soldiers guilty of sexually assaulting a female colleague and gave them suspended jail terms.
The case of 24-year-old Rina Gonoi relates to a 2021 incident during her time in the army.
After joining the Japanese Self Defense Forces in 2020, she said she experienced daily harassment.
"When walking down the hallway, someone slaps you on your hip, or holds you from behind," she told AFP. "I was kissed on the cheek, and my breasts were grabbed."
And then in 2021, during a drill, she said three of her colleagues pinned her to the ground, forced her legs apart and pressed their crotches against her in simulation of a sex act. She said other colleagues present at the time watched and laughed.
Even though she complained to her superiors at the time, no action was taken, prompting Gonoi to leave the military.
In 2022, Gonoi took to YouTube to share her account.
After she went public, Japan's Defense Ministry issued a public apology to her and announced that five men connected to the incident had been dismissed and four others punished.
Attracting recognition as well as vitriol
Gonoi's decision to go public also grabbed public attention and put a spotlight on the issue of sexual assault and harassment in a society where women rarely hold positions in the upper echelons of politics, business and military.
It also inspired others to file complaints about sexual harassment and bullying.
In the military, for instance, over 1,400 women and men have submitted their allegations following a special inspection by the Defense Ministry.
This June, Japan passed legislation redefining rape, including removing the requirement that victims prove they had sought to resist their attacker.
Gonoi's battle has even attracted international recognition: Time Magazine named her on its list of 100 emerging world leaders while the British Broadcasting Corp included her among its 100 most influential women globally.
But she has also been a target of online vitriol.
"I have gotten many derogatory comments. But I know the world values what I'm doing," she told Reuters.
Separately, Gonoi has lodged a civil case against her former peers and the government, seeking damages for the alleged assault and the subsequent inaction despite her complaints.
sri/lo (Reuters, AFP)
The case has put a spotlight on the problem of sexual violence and harassment within the Japanese military.
A court in Japan on Tuesday found three former soldiers guilty of sexually assaulting a female colleague and gave them suspended jail terms.
The case of 24-year-old Rina Gonoi relates to a 2021 incident during her time in the army.
After joining the Japanese Self Defense Forces in 2020, she said she experienced daily harassment.
"When walking down the hallway, someone slaps you on your hip, or holds you from behind," she told AFP. "I was kissed on the cheek, and my breasts were grabbed."
And then in 2021, during a drill, she said three of her colleagues pinned her to the ground, forced her legs apart and pressed their crotches against her in simulation of a sex act. She said other colleagues present at the time watched and laughed.
Even though she complained to her superiors at the time, no action was taken, prompting Gonoi to leave the military.
In 2022, Gonoi took to YouTube to share her account.
After she went public, Japan's Defense Ministry issued a public apology to her and announced that five men connected to the incident had been dismissed and four others punished.
Attracting recognition as well as vitriol
Gonoi's decision to go public also grabbed public attention and put a spotlight on the issue of sexual assault and harassment in a society where women rarely hold positions in the upper echelons of politics, business and military.
It also inspired others to file complaints about sexual harassment and bullying.
In the military, for instance, over 1,400 women and men have submitted their allegations following a special inspection by the Defense Ministry.
This June, Japan passed legislation redefining rape, including removing the requirement that victims prove they had sought to resist their attacker.
Gonoi's battle has even attracted international recognition: Time Magazine named her on its list of 100 emerging world leaders while the British Broadcasting Corp included her among its 100 most influential women globally.
But she has also been a target of online vitriol.
"I have gotten many derogatory comments. But I know the world values what I'm doing," she told Reuters.
Separately, Gonoi has lodged a civil case against her former peers and the government, seeking damages for the alleged assault and the subsequent inaction despite her complaints.
sri/lo (Reuters, AFP)
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