Only 28.4 percent of women who were forced into having sex last year talked to someone about it, including family, indicating many still endure such violence silently, according to a triennial government survey documented in an annual report released Tuesday.
The record-low rate for fiscal 2011 compares with 35.1 percent in fiscal 2005 and 31.7 percent in fiscal 2008, according to the 2012 white paper on crime victims.
In the latest survey on 5,000 randomly selected adults, which drew responses from 1,751 women and 1,542 men, 134 of the women said they were victims of sexual violence.
Among those who remained silent about it, the largest number, at 42, cited shame, while 20 women said they didn't want to recall the incident, and 19 said they thought they should just endure it. The survey allowed multiple answers.
Of those who talked about it, 25 said they consulted a friend or acquaintance, 13 with a family member or relative, five with police and three with a public entity other than the police.
Hidemichi Morosawa, a professor on victimology at Tokiwa University's graduate school, called for one-stop administrative services to help victims with specific problems such as in appearing in court as a witness and negotiating for compensation with offenders.
The government is promoting the opening of one-stop support centers where victims of sexual violence can get access to treatment, police and other necessary services, but only two have been set up so far, in Aichi and Osaka prefectures.