03. Domestic Violence and Gender Violence

New link added 19 Sep: Japanese Students Call out Universities Over Lagging Attitudes Toward Sex Crimes This article reports on sexual assualts and harrassment of female Japanese university students during job huniting and in club activities. It also reports on the the work of the orgnaisation “Chabudai Gaeshi Joshi Action” (translated as “Turn over the table ladies”) for universities to take measures on this issue and actions at Keio University and Sophia University. The Diplomat, 22 Aug 2019.

New link added 19 Sep: ちゃぶ台返し女子アクション（Chabujo）私たちは、女性をはじめとするあらゆる性の人が自分を肯定できる社会に向けて、性的同意を広め性暴力をなくす活動や性別役割分業を考え直す活動など、当事者同士がつながり共に声をあげることで社会的・政策的変化を起こす草の根運動を展開しています。This is the Chubujo (Turn over the table ladies) English site.

Gender equality: Japan lagging behind other developed nations As part of a report on gender inequality in Japan this video includes stories of two women about sexual violence and discrimination against women with young children in politics. It starts by reporting the protests on the 11th of every month, when women come together in dozens of Japanese cities to protest a series of acquittals last year involving men accused of sex crimes. France 24, 11 Mar 2020.

Flower Demo #MeToo#WithYou is a campaign by women demonstrating against sexual violence against women in Japan and responding especially to cases where courts have found men not guilty of sexual violence. Flower Demo focuses on women survivors of violence raising their voices and argues that society stops the voices of women being heard. Their website has a page of Voices, including this video.

"Flower Demo" fighting sexual violence in Japan This article looks at the recent 'Flower Demo' protests by women, and tells briefly the stories of some women involved, as well as explaining how the movement started. It also reports on a campaign by three groups, Human Rights Now, Spring and Voice-Up Japan to change the law on sexual assault in Japan. Kyodo News, 5 Mar 2020.

Shifting attitudes toward sexual violence in Japan This article looks at the case of Shiori Ito, a journalist who spoke out after being raped by a prominent male journalist close to the Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, and at the stories of other women who have spoken out after suffering sexual violence. It describes a number of organisations statred by women to help the survivors of male violence and also explains the process of 'blaming the victim' which often silences women who have suffered sexual violence and makes them afraid to speak about their experiences. Japan Times, 6 Jan 2018.

Japan woman with PTSD from alleged sexual violence by teacher goes public to stop abuse "A Japanese woman who in her junior high school days became an alleged victim of sexual abuse by one of her teachers has found the strength to face up to her damage more than 20 years on from the apparent attacks." The article explains how she only came to see herself as a victim some years after the abuse ended, and how she is now speaking out about it and gathering information on levels of abuse of students by teachers. Mainichi Shimbun, 2 Aug 2020.

Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women This government webpage introduces in English the policies of the Japanese Government in this area, which mainly seem to focus on 'spousal violence' (violence by partners) but also includes a campaign against violence against women in general and measures of human trafficking. Cabinet Office, Gender Equality Bureau.

Shiori Ito, symbol of Japan's MeToo movement, wins rape lawsuit damages A Japanese woman whose rape accusations against a prominent TV journalist turned her into a symbol of the country’s fledgling #MeToo movement has been awarded 3.3m yen [$30,000] in damages. Guardian, 18 Dec 2019.

Japan's not-so-secret shame In the #MeToo era, it's high time for Japan to change its archaic and sexist approach to sexual assault. An opinion piece by Teppei Kasai. Aljazeera, 30 Jul 2018.

Sexual Harassment A webpage for foreign ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) working in Japan that discusses how sexual harassment in Japan may be seen both within Japan and from outside and challenges some stereotypes. It also explains legal definitions of sexual harassment in Japan. AJET (Association for Japan Exchange and Training).

Japan's attitude to sexual harassment toughens Despite Japan's reputation for lagging behind other advanced economies in its treatment of sexual harassment cases, its citizens appear less tolerant of such behavior than their peers in other Asian countries and they want tougher penalties for offenders, according to a recent survey. Nikkei Asian Review, 12 June 2018.

In corporate Japan, little movement on harassment policies: Reuters poll Three-quarters of Japanese companies have made no changes to sexual harassment policies over the last year and don’t plan to do so, a Reuters poll found, though awareness of harassment is on the rise. Reuters, 25 May 2018.

Why Japanese Men Still Don’t Get It: Structural Roots of Sexual Harassment By Muta Kazue. What do recent stories focusing on sexual harassment in Japan say about the social conditions of Japanese women? Professor Muta Kazue argues that, despite a growing awareness of the issues, such incidents will continue until Japan overhauls the underlying systems that perpetuate workplace discrimination against women. Nippon.com, 18 May 2015.

Japan women see turning point on sexual harassment after scandal Japanese women, long accustomed to enduring sexual harassment in silence, are speaking out after a high-profile scandal involving a top bureaucrat stirred debate and protests.Reuters, 24 May 2018.

Me Too rises in Japan as sexually harassed journalists speak out The Me Too movement, which was initially slow to spread in Japan, is now quietly reaching boiling point. This article includes the experiences of a number of female journalists who suffered sexual harrassment and who often faced silence when they protested about it. Japan Times, Apr 22, 2018.

*Japan sexual harassment survey reveals 150 allegations by women in media A third of cases involved inappropriate behaviour by government officials, police officers and MPs. Guardian, 22 May 2018.