Shiori Itō

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Shiori Itō ( Japanese 伊藤 詩織 Itō Shiori ; * 1989 in Kanagawa Prefecture ) is a Japanese journalist , writer and filmmaker .

Her civil litigation with Noriyuki Yamaguchi , a well-known television journalist in Japan, whom she accused of rape , aroused public interest in Japan and was followed by the mass media internationally .

The case was particularly explosive, as the police withdrew a previously issued arrest warrant and the public prosecutor had discontinued the criminal proceedings. The accused is a well-known figure and both charges and convictions for rape are uncommon in Japan. Furthermore, according to Japanese law, in the case of rape, it must be proven that the perpetrator used violence or threatened the victim.

Due to the fact that Shiori Itō was partially unconscious during the incident, the facts could not be proven. However, the fact that she was awarded damages in the subsequent civil proceedings is seen as a fundamental judgment that a change in criminal law and the social definition of sexual offenses could result.

Career

During her school days, Itō lived for a year as an exchange student in the US state of Kansas .

In 2013 she studied in New York, where she graduated in photography and journalism. She was then employed by Thomson Reuters before working as a freelancer , making a film about genital mutilation and interviewing Colombian rebels .

Rape allegation and legal battle

During an internship at Thomson Reuters, Itō met with Noriyuki Yamaguchi , a well-known TV journalist in Japan, for a business lunch in an izakaya in Ebisu in Tokyo's Shibuya district in April 2015 . During the meeting, she said she passed out in the restaurant bathroom after becoming dizzy. Yamaguchi claims this was due to alcohol consumption during the meeting. After dinner, what she can't remember, she took a taxi with Yamaguchi to a hotel. According to the taxi driver, Ito vomited in the back seat, but asked to be allowed to get off at a stop before she could no longer be approached. When she woke up, she said she had had sexual intercourse with Yamaguchi, which he said was consensual.

She then sued him for 11 million yen (about 90,000 euros ) in pain and suffering after the rape criminal case was dropped due to the lack of evidence . Yamaguchi filed a counterclaim , accusing her of reputational damage and false testimony, and demanding 130 million yen (or one million euros) in damages . In October 2017 she moved from Tokyo to London due to public pressure and defamation . In the spring of 2019, prior to the Yamaguchi hearing, she attempted suicide.

In December 2019, the competent court awarded her 3.3 million yen (about 27,000 euros) in damages. The accused announced that he wanted to appeal. He was not convicted of rape, however, as the prosecution said the evidence in this case was not clear enough.

Book publications

  • Shiori Itō: Black Box . 2017.
  • Shiori Itō: Japan's Secret Shame . 2018.

Awards

  • Free Press Association of Japan - Freedom Of The Press Award (2018) for Black Box
  • New York Festivals Silver award (2018) for directing Undercover Asia: Lonely Deaths

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Motoko Rich: She Broke Japan's Silence on Rape . In: The New York Times . December 29, 2017, ISSN  0362-4331 ( online [accessed November 5, 2019]).
  2. ↑ Rebecca Nicholson: Japan's Secret Shame review - breaking a nation's taboo about rape . In: The Guardian . June 28, 2018, ISSN  0261-3077 ( online [accessed November 5, 2019]).
  3. ↑ Teppei Kasai: Japan's not-so-secret shame. Retrieved November 5, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Shiori Ito and the Flower Movement: The Abuse That Changed Japan . In: Spiegel online . ( spiegel.de [accessed on November 5, 2019]).
  5. ↑ At court hearing, journalist Shiori Ito says she was 'desperate to protect' herself during rape . In: The Japan Times Online . July 8, 2019, ISSN  0447-5763 ( online [accessed November 5, 2019]).
  6. ↑ Journalist wins lawsuit for damages after rape. In: time online. December 18, 2019, accessed December 19, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Motoko Rich: She Broke Japan's Silence on Rape. In: NY Times. December 29, 2017, accessed December 20, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Alexandra Rojkov : Shiori Ito and the Flower Movement: The Abuse Case That Changed Japan. In: Spiegel Online . November 1, 2019, accessed November 5, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Wieland Wagner: Japan: Shiori Ito wins damages litigation in rape case. In: Spiegel online . December 19, 2019, accessed December 20, 2019 .
  10. ↑ a b Japan's secret shame. BBC, June 20, 2018, accessed December 27, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Saying #MeToo in Japan. (No longer available online.) January 2, 2018, archived from the original on January 6, 2018 ; accessed on December 27, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Ignored, humiliated: How Japan is accused of failing survivors of sexual abuse. Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Rape trial: Japanese journalist wins lawsuit for damages . In: Spiegel Online . December 18, 2019 ( online [accessed December 18, 2019]).
  14. ↑ Martin Fritz : Compensation for rape . In: taz.de . December 18, 2019, accessed December 20, 2019.
  15. ↑ Japanese journalist wins #MeToo rape case . December 18, 2019 ( online [accessed December 18, 2019]).
  16. ^ The Free Press Association of Japan announces the seventh annual Freedom Of The Press Award. Retrieved December 27, 2018 .
  17. ^ New York Festivals World's Best TV and Films (2018). Retrieved December 27, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Itō, Shiori
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 伊藤 詩織 (Japanese); 伊藤 詩織 (Japanese, old spelling)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese journalist, writer and filmmaker
DATE OF BIRTH 1989
PLACE OF BIRTH Kanagawa Prefecture