Photo/Illutration Rina Gonoi, a former Ground Self-Defense Force member, who came forward with her allegation accusing three men of sexual assault (Amane Shimazaki)

The Fukushima District Court will rule on Dec. 12 in the trial of three former Ground Self-Defense Force members accused of sexually assaulting a former colleague in a highly publicized case that has rocked the Defense Ministry. 

Prosecutors are seeking two-year prison sentences for the three men, who each have pleaded not guilty.

The trial’s focus is on whether the actions of these men constituted “indecent assault.”

Rina Gonoi, 24, went public with her allegations in June 2022 after leaving the GSDF, accusing her colleagues of sexually assaulting her during a training exercise.

The three are alleged to have used a martial arts maneuver to push Gonoi onto a bed, rendering her defenseless, and then pressed their crotches against her over clothing in a training building in Betsukai, Hokkaido, in August 2021.

The three--Shutaro Shibuya, 31, Akito Sekine, 29, and Yusuke Kimezawa, 29--who held higher ranks than Gonoi, were dismissed from the GSDF in December 2022.

They were indicted without arrest for indecent assault in March this year. In the first hearing in June, the three men asserted their innocence. 

Shibuya said, “It is true that I shook my hips, but it was to elicit laughs.”

Sekine said, “I did not engage in any behavior like shaking my hips.”

Kimezawa said, “I placed my body over hers but did not touch her body.”

At the trial, when questioned about their direct apology to Gonoi in October 2022, the defendants explained that they had been instructed by the Defense Ministry to perform acts of contrition, such as kneeling, and thus were forced to apologize against their will.

In reflecting on her feelings when she received the direct apologies, Gonoi said the men's demeanor and words made her feel that they were truly sincere. She had hoped they would acknowledge the facts and show remorse in court.

She added she was not surprised that the three defendants expressed their innocence since a trial is a place for each party to present their case.

However, she said she wanted them to express remorse, regardless of their claims. If they had shown genuine repentance, she even considered asking the judge for a lighter sentence, she said.

Therefore, Gonoi said she was greatly shocked hearing the defendants in court blame their actions on the Self-Defense Forces and their superior. It left her filled with despair, wondering, “What was the point of their apologies?”

Prosecutors argued in their closing arguments that Gonoi’s account is consistent in its core elements and aligns with multiple eyewitness testimonies, making it credible.

“It is clear that the actions constituted indecent behavior and caused her significant sexual humiliation,” they said.

On the other hand, the defense team stressed in its closing arguments that Gonoi’s account “should not be overvalued.”

It questioned the reliability of testimony that implied sexual conduct, saying these accounts “have changed and lack credibility.”

Gonoi said every courthouse visit felt like it was taking years off her life, causing symptoms such as tinnitus, insomnia and flashbacks.

She expressed a desire for wrongdoing to be properly judged in a courtroom and said that the Japanese judicial system is being tested.

(This article was written by Nobuyuki Takiguchi and Amane Shimazaki.)

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