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TOKYO, Jan. 30 (AP) – A former Japanese soldier who reported being sexually abused by her military colleagues said Monday that she has filed a damages lawsuit against five perpetrators and the government because she believes they had earlier The apology was hollow.
Rina Gonoi went public with her ordeal last year, asking the Defense Department to reopen her case, in which she said she was repeatedly beaten by several members of the military, leading her to abandon her military career.
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When she originally filed her complaint in 2021, the military dropped her case, saying there was insufficient evidence.
In September, the Japanese military admitted some of the wrongdoing and apologized following an internal investigation.
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Four of the five perpetrators apologized to Goi in person a month later.
The ministry fired the five servicemen in December and punished four others.
Gonoi said she decided to go to court after she felt the five perpetrators were still acting recklessly and stopped responding as they discussed the settlement.
She seeks a total of 5.5 million yen ($42,270) in damages from the attackers for their wrongdoing and her emotional pain, and 2 million yen ($15,370) from the government for failing to stop the attack, properly Investigate and take appropriate action.
“Honestly, I’m very reluctant to fight and I’d rather not take that option,” Gonoi said. “But the message I’m getting from them is that they still lack remorse, and I don’t think the harassment (in the military) will ever be eradicated unless I take action.”
Gonoi said she still admires the military and the work it does, and wants it to be a place where “all service members, men and women, are treated with respect and a sense of justice.”
Gonoi, who was first assigned to a unit in Fukushima in April 2020, said she quickly became the target of sexual misconduct.
Gonoi said her male supervisors repeatedly asked her about her breast size or engaged in unwanted physical contact, such as trying judo techniques on her.
Then, in July 2021, in a tent at the training ground, her breasts were touched by her male supervisors, who also forced her to touch their private parts, she said.
Gonoi earlier said that in August 2021, in the dormitory, a senior male colleague pressed the lower half of his body on top of her and made lovemaking movements while more than 10 other male colleagues and supervisors watched and laughing out loud.
After dropping the initial investigation in May, civil prosecutors reopened the case following her appeal.
Gonoi said she would not have to give up her military career if she had enough support from the Ministry of Defense, saying she chose the military because her family was helped by military rescuers after the 2011 tsunami in northern Japan.
Complaints of sexual misconduct are often ignored in Japan. Victims also tend to be criticized for speaking out. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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