Japanese journalist wins high-profile rape case

This appeared in The Millennial Source

A court in Tokyo has awarded Japanese journalist Shiori Ito $30,375 in damages after she accused a well-known reporter, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, of raping her in 2015. The case is viewed as a high-profile proceeding in the country since the alleged rapist, who is a senior reporter in Japan, shares close ties to Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

Yamaguchi had reportedly sexually assaulted Ito after inviting her to dinner to discuss job opportunities four years ago. Yamaguchi denied the charges and sought compensation of over $1.2 million in a countersuit. The countersuit was, however, dismissed by the court. “We won. The countersuit was turned down,” said Ito.

Ito’s ordeal

In 2015, Ito was reportedly drugged by Yamaguchi after having dinner together and found herself in a hotel room with him on top of her. Ito claims that the police took weeks to open an investigation after she had come forward with her complaint — before they eventually backed off, citing lack of evidence.

Moreover, she claims to have been harassed by insults and threats by members from the public, but the most hurtful proved to be letters from Japanese women. “I was flooded with insults and threats. But what grabbed me the…