A Japanese court slaps three-year prison sentences, with probation opportunities, on a trio of former JSDF soldiers for their role in inappropriately harassing a female ex-subordinate, who bravely spoke out against them on social media.
The defendants employed martial arts techniques to restrain the woman and subjected her to indecent acts, according to NHK. They confessed to restraining her but denied the indecent acts, as reported by the Japan Broadcasting Association. All three pleaded not guilty.
The concerned woman, now identified as Rina Gonoi, claimed she had been subjected to sexual abuse daily during her service in the JSDF for over a year. She pledged to confront her tormentors in court upon her military discharge in June 2022. The authorities initially seemed reluctant to believe her.
The victim then reported the suspected abuses to the military authorities. Two investigations were launched, but both were suspended due to the lack of evidence, which ultimately forced Gonoi to take her case to the social media sphere.
This marked a rare move in a country where survivors of sexual assaults often face stern opposition when they speak out. Yet, the brave decision proved fruitful, as the Japanese Defense Ministry eventually launched a comprehensive investigation into sexual harassment within the JSDF.
"I want to help other people in the JSDF who have also been victims of sexual harassment. I want the perpetrators to apologize and admit what they've done; I want to prevent others from going through what I did, which is why I'm speaking out," Gonoi told CNN in July.
The prosecution reopened its investigation and found that Gonoi had been subjected to both physical and verbal sexual harassment daily, as confirmed by her attorney. Five military personnel were dishonorably discharged, and four were punished on public apology grounds, as reported by NHK.
Yoshihide Yoshida, Chief of Staff for the Ground Self-Defense Force, eventually made a rare public apology in September 2022, voicing his sincere regret and expressing sympathy towards Gonoi and her ordeal.
However, this did not suffice, and Gonoi proceeded to file both criminal and civil lawsuits against the perpetrators, along with the government.
A report commissioned by the Japanese Defense Ministry in August revealed a deeply ingrained culture of harassment and fear within the Japanese military. The report investigated some 1,325 reports of harassment, with several victims reporting instances of feeling "ignored", "advised", or "thrown away", according to the report. Several claimed they had never received a response from the JSDF after reporting harassment, even after consulting with counselors.
Japan's Defense Minister, Yasukazu Hamada, acknowledged the necessity of enforcing strict measures and promising reforms.
From her childhood, Gonoi admired the members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, having grown up witnessing female officers coming to her hometown of Higashi Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture in Northern Japan after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011.
Gonoi herself joined the JSDF in Fukushima, a region also affected by the disaster, in hopes of emulating these officers. However, it was there that she experienced sexual harassment for the first time.
"They used to make comments about my body and the size of my breasts. Or they'd come up and hug me unexpectedly on the corridor. Such things happened every day," Gonoi recalled of her time at the train station.
The incident eventually reached its peak in August 2021 when Gonoi was allegedly pinned to the floor and subjected to simulated sexual acts by multiple male superiors. This pushed her to report the abuse.
However, her allegations were initially dismissed. Only when she brought her case to the public's attention, was the JSDF forced to reconsider the issue.
The case garnered widespread attention. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed understanding and concern about the flawed handling of sexual harassment cases by the SDF and the Defense Ministry during a parliamentary session in October.
"We understand that perpetrators in cases of sexual harassment must be strictly punished. We are conducting special inspections in the defense sector to thoroughly investigate such cases. We are determined to eliminate all forms of harassment," Kishida said.
Jessie Yeung, Emiko Jozuka, Marc Stewart, Junko Ogura, Moeri Karasawa, and Daniel Campisi from CNN contributed to this report.
Bonus Reads:
During Gonoi's tenure with the JSDF, she wasn't the only victim of sexual harassment in Asia. A global problem, this issue was systemically entrenched in armed forces worldwide.
This isn't an isolated incident limited to the JSDF, but instead, it is reflective of a widespread issue. Reports suggest that similar incidents of sexual harassment in the military continue to surface around the world, highlighting the need for comprehensive measures to eradicate this destructive culture.
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Enrichment Insights:
- Militarized sexual harassment remains a pressing global concern, affecting various military forces.
- The United States Navy paused its sexual assault prevention and response training due to executive order compliance issues, resulting in confusion and uneven implementation across commands.
- The U.S. Army's SAPR program underwent a temporary halt for compliance checks, following concerns regarding new directives.
- The U.S. Army saw a conviction of Army Sergeant Antonio Robert Aden, who was sentenced to 240 months in prison for rape and sexual assault in Ontario, California, and Seoul, South Korea.
- In a separate court case, Japanese prosecutors dropped charges against a U.S. Marine accused of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa upon lacking sufficient evidence, causing public outcry and protests.
- The United Nations has actively taken on transnational crime, including sexual violence, through various agencies and initiatives, like the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
- Regional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, have initiated efforts to combat transnational crimes; however, their impact is often minimal due to complex challenges.
- Public outcry over the dropping of charges against a U.S. Marine in Okinawa prompted women's rights groups to demand better protection for victims of sexual assault and accountability for perpetrators.
- U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, expressed concern over the pause in SAPR training and emphasized the essential need for addressing sexual assault within military forces.
- Historic reforms in military justice systems have taken place, such as the 2020 enactment of the Military Justice Modernization Act (MJMA), with bipartisan support, to improve protections against sexual assault in the military.
These global initiatives, investigations, and public actions demonstrate the pervasiveness and gravity of sexual harassment in military forces, underlining the importance of consistent anti-harassment policies and systemic reforms.
