A female journalist who is suing a high-profile journalist over an alleged rape in 2015 expressed hope that the truth will come out in open court as the oral hearings of her civil lawsuit began at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.
In September, Shiori Ito, 28, filed the suit against Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a former Washington bureau chief for Tokyo Broadcasting System, whom she accuses of sexually assaulting her at a Tokyo hotel in April 2015. Ito claims that Yamaguchi dragged her into a hotel room and raped her after the two met at a restaurant to discuss a job opportunity. Ito says she lost consciousness while they were at a sushi restaurant.
In court on Tuesday, Ito was present with her team of lawyers, but Yamaguchi's side skipped the hearing. His lawyer instead submitted a document asking that the case be dismissed.