Japan journalist Shiori Ito awarded ¥3.3 million in damages in high-profile rape case | The Japan Times
japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/18/national/cri...Posted Dec 18, 2019, 3:16 AM UTC
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japantimes.co.jp
“In Japanese culture, suffering in silence is considered as noble,” Ito said in a recent interview.
I recently read a historical piece about a Buddhist monk who was to be put to death for a crime he didn't commit. (He gets bailed out at the last minute by an acquaintance.)
But then it goes on to talk about how virtuous he was for almost allowing himself to get killed without saying anything. This whole attitude is just so fucked.
I'm not super familiar with Japanese civil courts, is it likely that Yamaguchi will be tried criminally or punished in any meaningful way?
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
The whole "suffering in silence is noble" idea is bullshit. Because it does nothing but allow evil to get away unpunished, to go do more evil. It's tacit approval of evil.
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That quote always reminds me of Bishop Desmond Tutu's quote:
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."
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You think the people at the top of society who propagate that idea are suffering anything in silence? Ha!
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Indeed. Weird how all my elders tell me I should listen to my elders, also.
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Criminally he is scot free, I believe. The police declined to prosecute after investigation. Keep in mind the burden of proof might be less in civil cases like this, so it might genuinely have been more complicated than simple police collusion. But let's do also keep in mind that Yamaguchi is a powerful man with powerful friends.
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If it’s any consolation, he says he has been unemployed since all of this started because nobody will give him an interview anymore.
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Honestly, it's getting so a creep can't catch a break anywhere anymore. Harvey Weinstein is said to be itching to make a new movie, and poor old Louis CK, eh????? The crocodile tears I would shed have no end.
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It’s called martyrdom and every culture used it as a community binding tool. The ones who don’t today tend to be of a certain type.
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Elaborate.
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A culture that prioritizes individual rights and dignity is a relatively recent outgrowth of the Enlightenment, I guess I'd say, and is relatively difficult to sustain in societies which are not affluent.
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I dont think its just an eastern thing... socrates is deified for his unjust martyrdom amongst others
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Declining to prosecute is not the same as acquittal. The prosecutor’s office could reconsider and decide to indict and try him, but it’s extremely unlikely that they would do so, given the massive loss of face that would ensue.
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This is a significant event in the handling of such cases, however, some seem to be focusing on the relatively small payout and lack of jail time for the perp. Generally, in Japan most victims of sexual violence are bought off by the offenders, effectively settling out of court. Those who refuse and push for a court case are typically discouraged from doing so both by police and prosecutors (who only want to handle slam dunk cases and who refused to pursue Ito's case). They also face a barrage of criticism (as Ito did) from the media and parts of the public who will view them as 'troublesome' for making such an issue public rather than resolving it in private. Its a shitty system that has persisted for a long time but Ito's high profile case shows that its possible to successfully fight back even against well-connected individuals. The fact that Yamaguchi's former employers have publicly distanced themselves from him, show how important it is to get an official ruling. It may seem like a small matter to some but this is a significant step in the right direction and sets a precedent that will hopefully become more common in future.
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The problem here wasn’t that the police wanted a “slam dunk“ case. They were all prepared to arrest Yamaguchi when the case was killed by Itaru Nakamura. Who, like Yamaguchi himself, has close ties to Abe.
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The 'slam dunk' was referring to prosecutors, who rarely move forward on a case they think will get dropped due to a lack of evidence or any of a half-dozen other common reasons. The police are more than happy to arrest people when caught in the act or video footage exists. Yet, such arrests of rapists and sexual perverts very often see the same people released without charge shortly thereafter. They also notorious for their reluctance to move forward with allegations of rape that lack substantial evidence and regularly discourage victims from following formal procedures.
I'm not saying there was no political influence involved, rather, that even in cases lacking such powerful friends, it can be incredibly difficult to push through a system whose attitude to sexual violence is archaic, and in some cases outright misogynistic. That Ms. Ito managed to deal with both only highlights her tenacity.
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The 'slam dunk' was referring to prosecutors, who rarely move forward on a case they think will get dropped due to a lack of evidence or any of a half-dozen other common reasons.
In this case, the assigned prosecutor had already signed off on Yamaguchi’s arrest. Nakamura has the case reassigned to his office and replaced that prosecutor with his own.
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Acccording to a classmate of Noriyuki Yamaguchi, the biggest concern that he and fellow Keio University classmates in the same year / zemi etc as him was "...the negative impact, if any, on the reputation of their Keio class year." That was not just his top concern, it was just about the only one he had regarding this case. He loves his alma mater.
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Having studied at Todai I'm obviously biased but the pride a lot of people from Keio have for their school is…astonishing. Sadly I'm not surprised at all that this was their biggest worry.
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I went one better and went to Kyoto, so I feel it doubly, but the level of worship many Jpn and US type peoples hold for what are essentially finishing schools for dull witted rich kids astounds me, as a fellow First Worlder. Trump himself could have gotten into Keio.
The Kyoto line is just an old KU joke, BTW.
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He's a matrisfututor.
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The Japanese justice system is such a mess.
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A huge disgrace in regards to Junko's case.
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This is.... I am at a loss for words. What a horrific read. So she gets nothing and no justice.
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Saddest part is, it’s seen as a massive victory for women in Japan.
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If this to them is a victory then I would hate to think what a defeat to them is. this just indicated how little women in Japan regard even themselves.
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Success and victory is relative.
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Pretty sure the guy walking and getting no charges is no victory and her getting nothing at all in terms of justice is no success.
Justice would have been victory Him compensating her for all the years she has had to endure in addition to court feeds, her lawyers and livelihood being destroyed would have been a success.
She got nothing. Less than nothing. She got a slap in the face and he walked.
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This really pisses me off that suspects in these cases are not held accountable.
A professor at a local university in my city, is infamous for sexually harassing female employees. making lewd remarks, etc
Unfortunately some one I knew ended up being placed in his office (in Japan secretaries are moved every 2 years). She ended up crying often because of how mentally abusive he was.
When she complained to HR.. all they told her was to endure it a bit more as 2 years will come soon and she can change office.
OMGWTF.. that isnt the point. apparently they told this to everyone who has an issue with their office environment.
Eventually she couldnt handle it so they transferred her to another office within a few months. But they DIDNT punish him.
Unfortunately, all the new female secretaries after her, also complained of similar harassment. In the end, they forced him into early retirement.
The university never punished him for his treatment of women.
and in the end, he ended up becoming Dean of an all girls university!! wtf
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If your story is true, you can just state the name of the university and the dean.
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I saw a documentary on this a few months ago, but I think it ended with the court not hearing the case (or the appeal or something like that, I can't remember) at all. Glad to know it actually didn't end there. Still not satisfactory, but it's better than nothing at all.
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This is the equivalent of $30k.
Plus the rapist didn’t even get arrested. What a joke.
But I’m sure he had to bow for like, a WHOLE minute. The shame!
Nope, he’s appealing the charges and appealing the dismissal of his own lawsuit against her.
On the bright side, he says he has been unemployed since this started.
Oh, that poor man, who by Japan standards is wealthy as fuck.
You think that punishment is bad? The dogeza he had to perform was extreme. His head was probably on the court room floor for at least a minute, just like the bow.
those bows are no joke
At 90 degree no less!
I wish I could like this comment x100
Let him come to bow down in an American prison. Let’s see how he likes being raped.
An eye for an eye
Japan's legal system can be a big joke.
I thought he was Properly Investigated, but they declined to press charges.
That's assuming she eventually gets her money. This is far from a done deal yet.
Japanese government: “A small price to pay for salvation”