Japanese journalist Ito says she was ‘desperate to protect’ herself from rape

Shiori Ito Photo: KYODO. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

TOKYO, Jul 8, 2019, Kyodo. Japanese journalist Shiori Ito, who has accused a prominent former television reporter of rape, said in a damages lawsuit Monday that she tried to stop him and was “desperate to protect” herself, reported the Kyodo.

The 30-year-old Ito is seeking 11 million yen in compensation from Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a former reporter at Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc, known as TBS. Yamaguchi has denied any unlawful act, saying his act was based on consent.

“I felt dizzy when I was dining together (with Yamaguchi), and when I woke up at a hotel I was being raped,” Ito said in a hearing at the Tokyo District Court. “I was desperate to protect my body, telling him to ‘stop.'”

Ito claims she was raped at a hotel in 2015 following a meal in Tokyo with Yamaguchi, who had promised assistance in getting her a job.

“Even now I have flashbacks,” she told the hearing, adding that the stress has led to some physical ailments.

Following the incident, she filed a complaint with police but prosecutors dropped the case in July 2016, citing insufficient evidence.

Ito later filed a complaint with the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution, but it also judged in September 2017 that the prosecutors’ decision was “appropriate,” saying there was no reason to overturn it.

The trial also includes a counter-lawsuit filed by Yamaguchi, who is seeking 130 million yen in compensation from Ito, claiming his social reputation has been damaged by her remarks.

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