A female prosecutor who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a senior male prosecutor has called on the justice minister and the prosecutor-general to establish a third-party committee to investigate possible harassment among prosecutors nationwide.
The prosecutor visited the Justice Ministry on Monday and submitted a written request.
“I hope that investigations will be conducted in a way that guarantees anonymity to eliminate those who engage in harassment,” she said at a later news conference.
The written request called for a third-party committee to conduct a fact-finding survey on harassment among all prosecution staff and urged the implementation of measures to prevent secondary victimization. The prosecutor said she would resign if the measures she requested were not taken by the end of March.
Kentaro Kitagawa, 66, former head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, was charged in July 2024 with sexually assaulting the prosecutor at his home in Osaka in September 2018.
He admitted to the allegation during the first court hearing of his trial in October 2024, but he later pleaded not guilty. The trial is ongoing.
The prosecutor filed a damages suit with Osaka District Court last month against the state, Kitagawa and others over the sexual assault case.
AloJapan.com