#METOO interview with Ito: breaking the Japanese sexual assault silence, I bet who will believe me

"How should I say it?" When the wine was put in front of her, she (ITO) grunted and drank. "Yamaguchi else will on TV, while talking and laughing, the next two male hosts also follow smile up," This is nothing bad, but my heart thought, this girl really can drink ah! "Yamaguchi goes on and on," she makes herself so drunk that I have to go back to the hotel to work again. She said to put her at the station, but was it really good? Leave a drunken man at the station? So I had no choice but to take her back to my hotel. -"Ito poem Weaving さんへ Yamaguchi else will osanbashi truth of the first white"

December 29, 2017, Japan is celebrating the new year, the eve of a lively year, the New York Times published a huge picture: A Japanese girl standing in the dark, holding a delicate transparent umbrella against the cold rain, the title reads: She broke Japan's silence on Rape (she broke the Japanese The silence of sexual assault). Exceptionally noisy season, this report quiet deafening, the picture of the quiet woman, is ito poetry weaving.

Photo source |New York Times web page

Why did the New York Times decide to cover this young Japanese woman in large chunks? The story must return to the seven months before the report (May 2017), a Japanese journalist named Ito, who appeared to accuse the former TBS Washington Branch leader Yamaguchi else will for her sexual assault. Yamaguchi else will is not only a veteran journalist, but also the biography of Prime Minister Abe, who has a close personal contact with Abe, plays golf, participates in various activities, and is very influential in the Japanese press.

In fact, the sexual assault occurred earlier: In 2015, Ito filed a criminal charge against Yamaguchi, but Japan did not have a few discussions and reports. In 2016, prosecutors ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. Not only did Yamaguchi else will not be punished, he continued to talk, write columns and show on the original post. Until 2017, Itochu decided to present the charges, and the New York Times Tokyo Branch president Motoko Rich decided to launch a six-month investigation into the case. At about the same time, Europe and the United States rolled up #METOO movement, the report released, so that Ito become the representative of the Japanese #METOO, her encounter first shook the international community, only to "skeleton shame should" attitude back to Japan, to obtain domestic face.

Read the news, when Ito poem Weaving sitting in front of us, I and the news picture of her as graceful and elegant. The only difference was that her eyes were more gentle and powerful than the one at the end of 2017, and she had cut her long hair.

In 2017, after the opening of the silence, Itochu was unable to work in the Japanese press. At that time, she received a lot of anonymous abuse, personal intimidation, also began to be recognized in the street by passers-by, "I have expected that this will happen, but the truth is beyond my imagination," she faint trace. We said she was brave, Ito smiled shook hands said no, is not what the British female, so do, only because at that time she can only consider one thing: from the wound survived.

"Telling the truth is the only way I'll survive." I can lose my job, but I can't lose my faith. 」

The public appearance, not only to improve the reality, in the sex crime is rarely openly discussed in Japan, her move also forced the society must create "said space." She said she went to court, the object of recourse to justice is not Yamaguchi individual, but to protect the system and system of sexual crimes.

The pursuit of justice is costly-and now, for security and tranquillity, she has left her hometown of Japan, living in Britain as a freelance journalist and launching a new life.

Language skills allow her to leave, and other survivors who cannot leave Japan's social life, can they say what they have encountered? According to the BBC survey, the number of sexual assault reports in the United Kingdom, for example, 510 people per 1 million people reported, Japan, 1 million people, reported only 10 people. Some people think that the number is less because of Japan's good law and order, and another group of people have different interpretations: This shows that Japanese sexual assault survivors do not dare to report. Under 10 people, there may be huge black numbers.

Japan's sexual Assault Law, 1907 after the establishment of the century has not changed

Japan's sexual assault law, since the 1907 Meiji era was enacted, nearly First century without any revision of the law, sexual assault on a person's sentence, or even less than theft.

"Japan lacks sexual consent" (consent) concept, "she is still a face unbelievable," the law is not, education is not, people will say, "she said not to be!" "God, some people are even more excited. "There was a get mad bland fire in her gentle eyes, and she could not help leaning forward and whispered to us, does Taiwan have such a saying?" We nod, Taiwan also say "Mouth said no, body is very honest", female refusal, also often be a joke.

Because of the lack of the concept of "consent", people's perception of sexual assault remains "violated by strangers"; if it is two familiar people, it is difficult to be understood as sexual assault. Among acquaintances, if one party appears to vindicate the involuntary, social reflex of the knee, is the allegation of the presence of women: you must be a malicious, immortal jumping, hoping to gain benefits.

"A beautiful woman like Ito is horrible, she uses beauty as a tool to be careful to be the prey of women through sexual relationships." "The Japanese mainstream media was flooded with such remarks.

Picture Source | Screenshot of program screen

Society has naturally made a "presumption of innocence" about the alleged male, but for the accused, the woman is automatically inclined to the "presumption of guilt": You must be innocent, you must lie, don't have a picture. It takes a lot of courage to show up because she has to constantly prove herself: I'm not lying. But how to prove it? At the same time, society will blame the victims: You must also do something wrong, will be sexually invaded Oh.

"In this matter, Ito himself has a problem, is that she drinks in front of men, unconscious." In such a society, it is necessary to have a sense of propriety and refuse to be the requisite skill. "Japan's female congressman Sugita in 2017 to say so to the BBC.

Accusations of sexual assault as a means? Do you know the cost of the charges?

How did the event happen? Must start from the beginning. Time to pull back in 2013, New York to study the news of the Ito weaving, in the working bar to know Confederacy TBS Washington Branch of Yamaguchi else will, Yamaguchi is very friendly, to the elder's attitude told her, TBS has been looking for talent, have the will to contact him. 2015, back to Japan's Ito contact Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi hope to discuss the work visa as soon as possible to deal with, Ito readily agreed, did not think it was the beginning of a nightmare.

Ito recalls that the night of Friday, Yamaguchi took her to a high-class sushi restaurant, saying there was a conversation he had with many reporters. To the restaurant, she was more and more puzzled, not to talk about work visas, why has not mentioned this matter? At the dinner they ordered a small glass of sake, after a few cups, Ito suddenly feel abnormal dizzy, she went to the toilet rest, leaning her head on the washing table, this is the last thing she remembers that night.

According to the taxi driver's testimony, Ito was taken to the Yamaguchi taxi and kept saying in the car, please drive me to the station. Yamaguchi replied, you are so drunk, we have not talked about the work of the signing, to my hotel. After this remark, the driver said he never heard the voice of Ito again.

The hotel monitor showed that Yamaguchi else will pulled the Ito out of a taxi and held her body to take the elevator.

In the BBC documentary, Ito's eyes were empty about the situation, "I woke up because of the pain in my body, and I remember the first thing I woke up with was a crying pain." But he did not stop. I knew at the time that there was only one way to escape safely, telling him: I had to go to the bathroom and now I need it. "Already scantily clothed her, take the opportunity to find clothes, Yamaguchi and push her back to bed, she struggled, but no use, Yamaguchi pressure her, so she can not breathe, at this time Ito can't help tears," Then I think, my life will end here, I will die in this place. 」

In the definition of Japanese law, to be able to conform to the definition of rape must be the other side of the use of physical violence, or intimidation. The judge will also require the victim to be fiercely and physically resistant. Therefore, if you do not cry for help, in the cognizance is not considered sexual assault. --hiroko Goto, Professor, Department of Law, Chiba University.

On the scene, Ito began to curse the Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi listened to her Japanese but more excited, Ito instead of English scold, Yamaguchi only finally stopped, looked at her, spit out a sentence "you qualified!" "At the instant of this remark, the sense of shame of Ito flowed from the body.

In front of a row of male police, demonstrating how to be sexually assaulted

Ito to police report, indicated that hope female police to accept, on the shift police told her there is no female, if ask female police to come forward, must give specific reasons. Under the watchful eyes of the police, she was forced to say: "I want to report a sexual assault." The policeman agreed to her request.

After the female police appeared, Ito collapsed to say the crime, during the tears flow, finally said, female police and told her, "really sorry, I am just a traffic police, I have no right to accept this case." "and said that Ito must re-explain to the competent police." And none of the police offices responsible for sexual crimes is female.

Later Caiso Ito was surprised to find that only 8% of all police officers in Japan were women.

The same day, another office sex crime police came, she supported herself, re-said once, the police told her that the location of the crime is not here, does not belong to his jurisdiction, she must say to another district police. "That was the first time I wanted to give up the charges. She recalled that at that time she had yanyan a breath.

After a survey, she was asked to use dummies on mattresses to demonstrate sexual assault in front of a row of male police officers. "As a victim, I had to go through these interrogation and questioning, and I was a couple of times I was confused, as if I was the suspect, and the Yamaguchi just denied my testimony." 」

She told her friends that she had met her friend, who knew the law, that some cases were illegal. To protect himself, Ito decided to put a recording pen in his clothes and record the whole process like a field survey. Such a practice, so that she can maintain a certain degree of calm, not collapse, "I put my feelings from the position of the client, into the role of reporters," she said this let her have the power to go through the judicial recourse, but she also worried, "so long, will there be a problem?" I am actually afraid of such a practice, is not always avoiding the face of their own emotions? 」

She asked us, we have no answer. In 2016, the prosecutor decided not to prosecute sanctions. Ito said she did not blame prosecutors, "in fact, in the end, they gradually understand the plight of sexual assault survivors, but under the law at that time, still helpless." 」

For survivors of sexual assault, Japan's judicial system itself, rather than the greater injustice, the road has gone half, unwilling to let the opportunity to change the stone to the sea, she decided to bring civil to tell, and by civil told, in court to open their name, appearance charges. In the first session of May 27, 2017, a large number of media were emerging from the courtroom. This is the first time in Japanese history that women have been publicly named to accuse the workplace of sexual assault.

June 8, 2017, under enormous social pressure, the Japanese House of Representatives finally passed the bill, the resolution changes since 1907, has not changed the sexual assault law. The content of the act changed the history of "rape" to "mandatory crime", aggravating the criminal responsibility. However, after the government has revised the law, "atrocities and threats" are still included in the conditions for the establishment of crimes. For Ito, as well as many survivors who remain silent and afraid to appear, this is far from enough and requires more effort.

#METOO interview with Ito: People shouldn't have only one way to understand sexual assault.

The development timeline of the weaving Ito of the poem (Continuous update)

• 2015.03.20: Itochu sent a letter to the Yamaguchi and asked if there were any internships at the TBS Washington Branch, Yamaguchi said there was a job shortage of producers and asked Ito if he would be willing to meet and arrange a visa.
• 2015.04: Two people in Tokyo met that night, Ito by Yamaguchi sexual assault.
• 2015.04.18: Ito a letter to the Yamaguchi, saying she wanted to make it clear that she was sexually assaulted that night.
• 2016: The prosecutor has decided not to raise charges.
• 2017.05.27: Ito in public, named for alleged sexual assault.
• 2017.06.08: The Japanese House of Representatives finally passed a bill amending the law on sexual assault that has not changed since 1907. The content of the act changed the history of "rape" to "mandatory crime", aggravating the criminal responsibility.