The Japanese Ex-soldier Who Declared War On Sexual Abuse

Since childhood, Rina Gonoi dreamed of joining the Japanese army. But as an adult, she has gone to war against the institution over the sexual abuse she was subjected to by her fellow soldiers.

It's not the life the skinny 23-year-old envisioned, but the decision to go public with her experience and fight the military for justice has been explosive.

His story inspired dozens of others to report sexual and other abuse in the military, but it also exposed Gonoi to threats and insults online so severe that he was sometimes afraid to leave the house.

"If this was just me, I could have stopped, but I carry the hopes of so many others on my shoulders, so I feel like I have to do my best," he told AFP.

Gonoi rose to fame last year when she publicly accused her colleagues of assaulting her.

She says she experienced bullying every day after joining the military in 2020.

"When you walk down the hall, someone pats you on the hip or grabs you from behind," he said.

"They kissed me on the cheek and grabbed my breasts."

Then, in a drill, she says three colleagues pushed her to the ground, spread her legs apart, and repeatedly pressed their crotches against her.

She reported the incident, but an internal investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

It was only after Gonoi went public and launched a petition that the case was reopened and a criminal investigation into the incident launched.

The Defense Ministry has since acknowledged the attack and apologized.

"I was deeply disappointed with the Self Defense Forces," she told AFP, using the official name of the Japanese army.

It was especially devastating given her path into the military, which began when she was displaced by the 2011 tsunami when she was just 11 years old.

Gonoi was particularly moved by the female SDF members who helped prepare makeshift bathroom facilities for displaced homeless survivors.

They "were so cool," he said.

"I came to think that one day I would like to be like them and work for other people" in trouble.

Gonoi also loved judo and dreamed of competing in the Olympics, and the military offered her access to sports facilities that they thought could help her train.

So the decision to publicly denounce the inaction around his assault was agonizing.

"It was a last resort," she said, describing herself as "more desperate than brave."

"I witnessed with my own eyes high-ranking women being assaulted, and I didn't want them to be left behind" or new troops "to suffer the same experience," he said.

Gonoi conveyed his claims in a video posted to YouTube last June, and the response was powerful.

More than 100,000 people signed a petition that he submitted in August to the Defense Ministry seeking an independent investigation.

And more than 1,400 people, both men and women, have filed their own complaints of sexual harassment and intimidation in the military following a special inspection by the Defense Ministry.

Sexual assault is a scourge in armed forces around the world, and outrage over the scale of the problem in neighboring South Korea has sparked calls for reform.

Gonoi's fight was a rare public reckoning with sexual assault in Japan, where the #MeToo movement received a muted response and government data shows only four percent of rape victims report the crime to the police.

Although women are well represented in Japan's workforce, they are rare at the top levels of politics, business, and the bureaucracy.

For all the support Gonoi received, there was also a torrent of abuse.

"I was prepared for the smear, but it's hard," she said.

"There is something wrong in Japan: people attack the victims instead of the perpetrators."

Gonoi has received an apology from his attackers, who are facing a criminal investigation, but is also suing the government and the perpetrators for their mistreatment.

“I hope to see a society where victims don't have to go public to solve their cases,” he said.

Public scrutiny remains harsh – Gonoi spent five days at home after enduring a barrage of criticism following her lawsuit – but she is starting anew as a judo instructor.

In February, he ran a beginner's session, including teaching an overhand throw.

"I was thrown over 200 times during the session," he said.

"No matter how many times I get knocked over, I get up. That's who I am."