A survey of harassment incidents within the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces has found that the organizations lack effective systems to prevent abuse and provide proper care for victims.

The findings indicate widespread violations of human rights that could undermine public trust in the organizations in charge of national defense.

The survey results should be taken seriously and used for redoubled efforts to eliminate all types of harassment within the ministry and the SDF.

On Aug. 18, the ministry released the results of the “special defense inspection,” which was ordered in September last year by Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada in response to a sexual assault complaint filed by Rina Gonoi, a former Ground SDF member.

The investigation was conducted by the ministry’s Inspector General’s Office of Legal Compliance.

The inquiry uncovered 1,325 cases of harassment including 1,115 cases of “power harassment” or workplace bullying, and 179 cases of sexual harassment.

A disturbing fact is that victims didn’t turn to harassment officers or counseling services available for help in 850 cases, or 64.2 percent of the total. The reason for not seeking help cited by the largest number of victims was that they thought it was unlikely to lead to an improvement in their situation.

Other reasons cited include the workplace “atmosphere and environment” that discouraged reporting on harassment incidents, “concerns about disadvantages and reprisals” that could result from such actions and a lack of trust in the organization’s commitment to confidentiality and other ethical and compliance elements.

The Defense Ministry set up in 2016 a dedicated harassment “hotline” to receive reports and offer counseling for victims. The ministry, however, should understand that such a system does not work unless the workplace culture and the mindset of senior officials are solidly supportive.

Many cases have been reported in which harassment victims were discouraged from reporting their experiences. Some were told that they would be unable to continue working in their current workplaces, while others were urged to withdraw their complaints to avoid damaging the careers of the commander and the squad leader.

These are examples of outrageous responses to reported abuse cases.

In the case of Gonoi, the section responsible for counseling harassment victims failed to play its role. It started an investigation into the allegations but could not break through the denials of sexual abuse by the male SDF officers involved.

After leaving the SDF, Gonoi, backed by more than 100,000 online signatures of people supporting her cause, requested a formal probe into her case. This finally led to the Defense Ministry’s investigation, which confirmed her claim, and forced the ministry to apologize to her.

Clearly, the ministry must urgently revamp its system to handle possible harassment cases.

As the ministry announced the results of the special inspection, an advisory panel of experts set up by the ministry also published its proposals to improve the situation.

The proposed steps include regular messages over the issue from the defense minister and the chiefs of staff, a review of the education program for personnel on the matter, questionnaire surveys twice a year to grasp the situation concerning harassment and improved privacy in housing for personnel.

As the panel pointed out, however, it is vitally important to fix problems with the organizational culture that has been a breeding ground for harassment.

Some experts argue that while sexual harassment should be clearly denounced, workplace bullying cases in the Defense Ministry and the SDF raise the delicate and complicated question of where to draw a line between appropriate guidance for defense personnel--which tends to be strict and rigorous due to the nature of the profession--and abuse of power by senior officers.

It is necessary for senior officers and their subordinates to share clear views and definitions concerning this matter.

There should be no tolerance toward unacceptable power abuse under the pretext of maintaining unity within the “family-like” organizations.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 22