Commentary / Japan Jan 26, 2020
What lies behind Shiori Ito's lonely #MeToo struggle
by Shaun O'dwyer
In Japan, feminist voices have been raised for #MeToo, but they are often barely heard.
National / Crime & Legal Jan 6, 2020
A former television reporter is appealing a civil court ruling that ordered him to pay damages to Japanese #MeToo symbol Shiori Ito in a high-profile rape case. Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a former Washington bureau chief for TBS TV and a biographer of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, ...
Editorials Dec 27, 2019
The Shiori Ito verdict marked an important milestone for women's rights in Japan, but it also revealed how far behind this country is at protecting sex crime victims.
National / Crime & Legal Dec 19, 2019
Japanese #MeToo figure calls her court victory a 'landmark' case for sex crimes in the country
Shiori Ito, a prominent figure in the #MeToo movement in Japan, said Thursday her civil court victory in a rape case against a prominent political journalist was "one of the landmark cases for Japanese sex crimes" and that she was still "quite surprised" by ...
National / Crime & Legal Dec 18, 2019
Japan journalist Shiori Ito awarded ¥3.3 million in damages in high-profile rape case
by Magdalena Osumi
Ito said she hopes her case and the court’s decision will lead to changes in the criminal law that will offer victims greater protection.
National / Crime & Legal Jul 8, 2019
At court hearing, journalist Shiori Ito says she was 'desperate to protect' herself during rape
Journalist Shiori Ito, who has accused a prominent former television reporter of rape, said in a damages lawsuit Monday that she tried to stop him and was "desperate to protect" herself. Ito, 30, is seeking ¥11 million in compensation from Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a former reporter ...
National / Social Issues Jan 6, 2018
Shifting attitudes toward sexual violence in Japan
by Masami Ito
The arrival of 2018 shouldn't bring the discussion of issues surrounding sexual violence to an end.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Dec 30, 2017
Japanese media's hits and misses of 2017
by Philip Brasor
The term "fake news" was used in so many different situations this year that it no longer describes an agreed upon concept but rather anything you don't agree with. This is why the U.S. press has had a difficult time making sense of its ...
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Dec 13, 2017
Taunts, tweets and tough talk: Japan's quotes of 2017
by Nevin Thompson
Soundbites tell the story of a roller-coaster year for Japan, from its Diet to its dohyō.
National / Crime & Legal Dec 6, 2017
by Tomoko Otake and Tomohiro Osaki
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 ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Nov 25, 2017
#MeToo movement confuses media in Japan
by Philip Brasor
During a recent discussion on Bunka Hoso's radio talk show, "Golden Radio," about sexual misconduct in the U.S., the participants wondered if the #MeToo social media movement would catch on in Japan. "Me Too" as a movement was started more than a decade ago ...
National / Crime & Legal Nov 22, 2017
Lawmakers hold hearings into whether the rape case against journalist was dropped due to Abe ties
by Tomohiro Osaki
A group of opposition lawmakers on Tuesday kicked off the first in a series of hearings where they will question police and ministry officials over a high-profile case involving an alleged rape by a former television journalist with close ties to Prime Minister Shinzo ...