Japan’s Defense Force Has a Sexual Harassment Problem

Japan’s armed forces, known as the Self Defense Forces (SDF), have been exposed for a culture of sexual harassment against female personnel and impunity for offenders. A shocking sexual assault case brought forward by 24-year old former SDF member Gonoi Rina has triggered public distrust toward the organization prized for its life-saving disaster relief.

Gonoi says she was pinned down by three male colleagues and sexually assaulted and ridiculed in front of fellow SDF members while at a training facility in 2021. She reported the incident to her superior, and it was handled informally. Gonoi says she resigned after being forced to meet with her attackers to receive an apology as a part of her unit’s effort to smooth over the incident. She says the way her complaint was handled was “intolerable” and “unforgivable.”

In December, Gonoi won a landmark criminal case against her attackers after the case was initially dropped in 2021 by prosecutors who cited insufficient grounds of suspicion. She convinced prosecutors the following year to re-investigate her case. Gonoi decided to post a video sharing her experience. The video went viral and it led to an online petition that collected 100,000 signatures.

In the court case prosecutors hoped for two-year prison sentences for the three defendants. Instead, they were given suspended sentences.

Still, the verdict is a victory in a country where convictions for sexual assault are rare. Gonoi told reporters that she hoped the court ruling would “prevent others from falling victim to sexual assault while serving.”

Her decision to go public prompted the launch of an expert panel to investigate SDF practices. The panel found other incidents in which sexual harassment was covered up and noted a reluctance from supervisors to deal with the problem properly.

In response, the Defense Ministry made a public apology. It admitted that Gonoi’s report to her superior was mismanaged, as it should have been filed to higher units. Defense Minister Kihara Minoru condemned the officers involved, saying, “It was outrageous that supervisors responded in such a way without any consideration for the victims feelings.”

Kihara also promised to reinforce countermeasures to eradicate an SDF culture that tolerates sexual harassment. But a series of sexual harassment countermeasures were already in place when Gonoi’s assault took place.

In 2016 a SDF harassment hotline was launched to receive reports and offer counseling to members. According to Defense Ministry data, the number of sexual harassment cases reported internally rose from 625 in 2018 to 2,122 in 2022. The number of cases in which the accused have been given disciplinary action has also increased. But experts point out that without an overhaul of the entire organizational culture and the mindset of senior figures, the SDF will continue to be a breeding ground for harassment.

The SDF is a male-dominated organization and former senior SDF members have said sexual harassment awareness is low. Less than 10 percent of the SDF is made up of women, and only a small number of them are in combat positions.

In August the government released the results of a SDF harassment survey, which uncovered 1,325 cases of harassment including sexual harassment, power harassment, and workplace bullying. The majority of respondents did not turn to harassment officers or counseling services as they said it was unlikely to improve their situation.

Gonoi’s high-profile sexual assault case comes at a time when the government is strengthen the role of the SDF in national security to counter worsening military threats from North Korea and China. In August, the Defense Ministry requested a record $52 billion for fiscal year 2024 to bolster the SDF’s ammunition, weapons, and equipment. But Japan’s rapidly declining population and chronic labor shortage means that the SDF is facing a lack of recruits and is understaffed.

Currently, there are 247,000 active duty members, which is 10 percent lower than in 1990. Some vessels operate with slimmed down crews and some safety processes have been mechanized, but certain equipment still requires a large number of personnel to operate. The reputation of the SDF has been heavily tarnished by the latest scandal, which could result in even fewer enlistments.

At the same time, Gonoi Rina has set a precedent for other women to raise their case for justice.