Japan soldiers found guilty of sexually assaulting colleague
A Japanese court found three former soldiers guilty on Tuesday of sexually assaulting a female colleague, in a victory for the victim whose long battle for justice challenged taboos in a traditionalist, male-dominated society.
The case of 24-year-old former soldier Rina Gonoi, which has drawn broad international attention, relates to a 2021 incident during her time in the army when she alleges three colleagues assaulted her.
After they denied their acts which amounted to sexual assault, they were convicted and given two-year suspended sentences, local media report.
“I think it was good for Japan’s society that the court handed down a guilty verdict and accepted the claims that I’ve made from the very beginning,” an emotional Gonoi told reporters outside the Fukushima district court after the ruling.
“The verdict shows that it’s not OK to do things for a laugh, that such acts are an actual crime,” she said.
Gonoi said she was subjected to persistent harassment after enlisting in 2020.
She said the three men pinned her to the ground, pulled her legs apart and pressed their crotches against her in simulation of a sex act.
She complained to her superiors at the time of the incident but later left the army when no action was taken.
After Gonoi went public in 2022, Japan’s defence ministry apologised publicly to her and announced that five men connected to the incident were dismissed and four others punished.
Her allegations sparked a widespread survey by the Japan’s defence ministry of sexual assault in the military.
Her rare decision to go public with her accusations drew attention in a conservative society where speaking out against sexual violence is largely taboo. It coincided with Japan’s effort acted international recognition. Time magazine named her on its list of 100 emerging world leaders. The BBC included her among its 100 most influential women globally.
“I am appreciative of the fact that they value what I’m doing. There is a tendency in Japan when people speak up, they get criticised,” Gonoi said in an interview before the verdict.
But at home she has also been the target of online vitriol. “I have received many derogatory comments. But I know the world values what I’m doing,” she said.
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.