Since she went public in late May with a rape accusation against a high-profile TV reporter, Shiori has been exposed to a storm of hurtful and derisive comments by anonymous internet users.

"A prostitute," "A publicity stunt," "A honey trap," were some of the phrases hurled at the 28-year-old freelance journalist publicly and privately via social media and direct emails.

She was so overwhelmed by the deluge of messages from strangers that she asked a friend to sift through them for a while, she said.