Photo/Illutration A female prosecutor holds a news conference in Tokyo on Jan. 27 after a petition was submitted to authorities in support of her case against a former chief prosecutor accused of sexually assaulting her. (Hikaru Yokoyama)

The high-profile trial of a former top Osaka prosecutor accused of sexually assaulting a subordinate has ignited broader community action against the integrity of the judicial system. 

On Jan. 27, a group of supporters for the alleged victim presented a petition containing about 59,000 online signatures to the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office.

The petition calls for a thorough investigation and independent third-party inquiry into the case.

The alleged victim, a female prosecutor from the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, expressed her gratitude to those supporting her at a news conference the same day.

She emphasized that the case should not be viewed as an isolated incident involving a single person but rather as a systemic issue within the prosecutor's office.

"The prosecution must not trivialize this case as a personal matter; it should be treated as an organizational issue," she said.

Kentaro Kitagawa, 65, is accused of raping the female prosecutor in September 2018 when he was chief of the Osaka prosecutors office. She was reportedly intoxicated at the time.

The alleged victim also criticized the slow progress of a separate case where she has accused a deputy prosecutor at the Osaka office of leaking investigative information to Kitagawa in an attempt to help him evade indictment.

She attributed the lack of progress in the case to a conflict of interest among Osaka's prosecution authorities.

"I know some in the prosecution are annoyed with my speaking out, but this is a whistleblower's statement against them acting improperly," she said.

In response to the petition, prosecution officials suggested that it would not immediately affect the progress of the ongoing trial.

"Concerning cases under prosecution or investigation, we will take appropriate action based on the law and evidence," read a statement from the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office and Osaka High Prosecutors Office.

Kitagawa’s defense team also released a statement, asserting that judgment should be determined through the trial.

Although Kitagawa initially admitted to the charges at his first trial in October 2024, he later reversed his position.

He claims that he believed the sexual encounter was consensual and questions whether the woman was truly unable to resist, asserting a not-guilty plea.

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