Japan: 3 Ex-Soldiers Found Guilty of Sexual Assault

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Facts

  • On Tuesday, a Japanese court convicted three former soldiers of sexually assaulting a female colleague. Authorities had initially dismissed the case until the victim demanded it be reopened.1
  • Rina Gonoi, a former member of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, reported that in 2021, three of her male colleagues forcibly simulated sexual acts on her.2
  • Shutaro Shibuya, Akito Sekine, and Yusuke Kimezawa had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. However, they admitted to pushing Gonoi onto a bed at a party at an army training facility in August of that year.1
  • The Fukushima District Court sentenced the three men to two years in prison. The sentences, however, were suspended for four years, meaning that the men won't actually serve any time.3
  • Gonoi said that she complained to her supervisors following the incident but decided to leave the military last year. She drew national and international attention when she shared her experience on YouTube in 2022, leading to a petition signed by over 100K people that saw the Ministry of Defense apologize for the assault and dismiss five of the men involved.4
  • This ruling comes after Japan implemented changes to its sex crime laws in June, including increasing the age of consent and reclassifying the legal definition of rape.5

Sources: 1Military.com, 2Reuters, 3Guardian, 4Al Jazeera and 5BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Amnesty international. This landmark verdict takes a strong stance against sexual violence in Japan and is the first step in proving that the nation's recent amendments to its sexual crime laws is making concrete progress. This is a win not only for Gonoi but for all victims of sexual violence. These efforts should be celebrated.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. This verdict is a good start, but much more needs to be done to promote gender equality in Japan and to lift the taboo around speaking out about sexual violence. Gonoi should have been taken seriously from the beginning, and the misconduct of the soldiers involved should never have been considered acceptable. The culture itself is what needs an overhaul.