Photo/Illutration Rina Gonoi asks a question to Kazuhito Machida, the head of the Defense Ministry’s Personnel and Education Bureau, in the Diet on Sept. 29. (Nobuhiko Tajima)

The Defense Ministry has apologized to a former Ground Self-Defense member after an internal probe confirmed she was sexually assaulted by members of her unit.

“I hope fundamental improvements are made so that nothing like this ever happens again,” said Rina Gonoi, 23, the former SDF member.

She made the comment after she received an apology from Kazuhito Machida, the head of the ministry’s Personnel and Education Bureau.

Gonoi went public with her claim last month that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by three SDF members during training in August 2021, when she was stationed at GSDF Camp Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture.

She said the men pushed her down and repeatedly pressed their crotches against her.

According to the Defense Ministry, which announced on Sept. 29 that its internal investigation had confirmed her claims, members of her unit made sexual remarks or physical contact on a daily basis.

Testimony from multiple members confirmed several instances of such conduct to Gonoi. Members of her unit made sexual contact with her at a guardhouse in fall 2020 and also made sexual contact and remarks to her at a camp on a training site in June 2021.

They pushed her down and made sexual contact at a lodging on a training site in August 2021 and warned her not to say anything about the incident.

The company commander did not report her complaints to the superior officer, the battalion commander, nor did he investigate the facts.

She submitted a petition to the Defense Ministry on Aug. 31 bearing more than 100,000 signatures calling for an investigation.

Following that, the ministry launched a sweeping inquiry into the sexual harassment of all SDF personnel.

The internal probe also confirmed that other women were also subject to sexual abuse. The ministry said it will punish those involved.

GSDF Chief of Staff Yoshihide Yoshida bowed his head in apology at a news conference on the afternoon of Sept. 29.

“We offer our sincere apology to (Ms. Gonoi), who has suffered for a long time,” he said.

When asked why the SDF had been unable to confirm her harassment until after she left the service, Yoshida said, “We feel ashamed. We are very sorry.”

That same evening, Gonoi received an apology in the Diet.

“I think it’s really late (to be recognizing this),” she said, “I think the initial investigation was neglected.”

She has asked that the unit members who had sexually harassed her apologize.

She also claimed that she was forced to write a letter of consent and a written pledge not to file a complaint when she resigned from the GSDF.

In response, the ministry promised it would take corrective actions.

(This article was written by Kaigo Narisawa and Nobuhiko Tajima.)

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