A recent successful lawsuit by a rape victim in her 40s against her childhood molester in the Hokkaido city of Kushiro has underscored the need for Japan to grant sexual abuse survivors longer statutes of limitations, the woman and her lawyers said Friday.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a landmark ruling handed down by the Sapporo High Court last year ordering an uncle of the victim to pay her ¥30 million in restitution for sex abuse he inflicted upon her from 1978 to 1983. The abuse started when she was three years old and ended when she was eight.
"After all those years, I finally feel confident about who I am," the woman said about the Supreme Court decision during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday, asking to remain anonymous to protect her privacy.