Photo/Illutration Former Ground Self-Defense Force member Rina Gonoi, left, speaks to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Dec. 19. (Midori Iki)

When reporters of The New York Times wrote stories based on the testimonies of sex crime victims in Hollywood five years ago, the first thing they did was to remind the victims, “We can’t change what’s happened to you.”

That may sound uncaring or even cold, but it was the reporters’ way of being honest with the victims. And the reporters would add, “But if you work with us and we work to tell the truth, we may be able to prevent other people from getting hurt.”

For the victims, it was anything but an easy decision to go public with their revelations. But they did, and the #MeToo movement went viral globally.

I would like to believe a similarly courageous decision by Rina Gonoi, a 23-year-old former Ground Self-Defense Force member, will help protect others from becoming victims.

In response to sexual assault allegations Gonoi made against male troops, the GSDF belatedly announced that nine members have been disciplined.

What infuriates me anew, however, is that the GSDF tried to cover up the assaults.

A captain serving as a company commander in his 30s, who was placed on suspension, did not even bother to look into Gonoi’s accusations, claiming he was “too busy” carrying out his training duties.

The SDF’s mission is to protect the Japanese people, yet how can that be possible if they cannot even help one of their own when they are in distress?

To date, 1,414 allegations of power harassment and sexual harassment have been filed against the SDF. Every single case must be thoroughly investigated.

Gonoi said she aspired to join the GSDF after she saw its relief efforts in the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011.

At a news conference she held in Tokyo on Dec. 19, she expressed her strong disappointment with the SDF’s handling of her case. But she also stated, “Some people say the SDF to be incapable of change, but I believe they will change.”

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 20

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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