Photo/Illutration Former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office Kentaro Kitagawa is accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated subordinate on Sept. 12, 2018. (Sotaro Hata)

According to the 24 solar terms in the traditional East Asian calendar, now is the season of "soko" (frost's descent).

The Japanese word "shuso," which means "autumn frost," implies the severity of penalty and judicial authority because of the iciness of the frost. And every prosecutor wears a badge called "shuso retsujitsu," which translates literally as "autumn frost and scorching sun."

The badge symbolizes the self-discipline with which prosecutors perform their duties with determination and idealism.

But the badge has been grievously tainted by Kentaro Kitagawa, former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office.

During his first court hearing on Oct. 25, Kitagawa admitted to the charges of "constructive forcible sexual intercourse," or taking advantage of an unconscious victim or someone unable to resist.

His victim, a female prosecutor, was his subordinate. He allegedly assaulted her sexually while she was intoxicated, telling her, "You're my woman now."

That was back in 2018.

If true, this makes me tremble with rage. I am utterly disgusted and sickened. I know that nothing I can say will ever erase the victim's emotional pain. Still, I just can't remain cool and composed.

An old news report I came across was about a news conference that Kitagawa held shortly after the 2018 incident. He talked about a new support system for victims of sexual crimes.

Unbelievable.

Every district public prosecutors office has staffers who counsel victims. There is also a hotline for that purpose.

Although Kitagawa's victim was thoroughly familiar with these arrangements, it still took her a long time to decide to expose him.

"I want to tell everyone who has been made to feel helpless, 'Don't ever think that you yourself are to blame,'" she told a news conference. "If you are suffering, just talk to someone you can trust."

I want to express my deepest respect to her for overcoming her pain and reaching out to fellow victims.

The role of prosecutors is to expose crimes. But the perpetrator of a crime was within the very organization and so was the victim.

The gravity of this situation must be taken really seriously. Only then, can the badly besmirched badge regain its credibility.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 30

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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.