Ex-SDF member Gonoi to settle with state, ex-colleague over sexual assault
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Ms Gonoi plans to hold a press conference in late January, when the settlement is expected to be reached.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO - Ms Rina Gonoi, who was sexually assaulted while serving in Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), is expected to reach a civil settlement with the two remaining defendants, the state and a former colleague, trial records showed on Jan 8.
In a lawsuit filed at the Yokohama District Court in January 2023,
The case drew widespread attention as Ms Gonoi made the rare move of coming forward to expose her ordeal, prompting the Defense Ministry to launch a special investigation by the Inspector General’s Office of Legal Compliance, directly overseen by the defence minister, as part of efforts to address harassment issues.
All five were dishonourably discharged.
Ms Gonoi has already reached settlements with four of the five.
The upcoming settlement assures compensation from the state, but no apology and payment is expected from the former SDF member, who is in his 50s, whom Ms Gonoi accused of being the ringleader. He has denied having orchestrated the attack.
The defendant had offered to apologise, but Ms Gonoi rejected this, saying it is meaningless.
Three former sergeants were each handed two-year prison sentences, suspended for four years, for their part in the indecent assault. But the two others, including the final defendant, did not face a criminal trial.
“I was able to fully express my wish to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future” in the SDF, Ms Gonoi said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.
Ms Gonoi, who received the International Women of Courage award from the US government in March 2024, plans to hold a press conference in late January, when the settlement is expected to be reached. KYODO NEWS
