Rape in Japan is sexual assault involving sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent in the nation. Victims and perpetrators include Japanese citizens, residents, and foreign nationals from a wide range of backgrounds and every social class.
Some are victims of drugging, alcohol-facilitated incapacitated rape, gang rape, kidnapping, threats, torture, murder, sexual slavery, and sex trafficking in Japan as well slavery in Japan. Cybersex trafficking, filmed rape, and coerced rape pornography are issues. Videos of rape, including incest and the molestation of minors, have been shared in chat rooms. Victims have been raped on public transportation and in residences, education facilities, workplaces, and other locations. Rapes during break ins and home invasions have occurred.
Victims suffer from physical and psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder, ostracization, and, at times, suicide. The contraction of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies from rape have occurred. Victims have lacked systemic support for counseling, therapy, and public services. There has been victim blaming and perpetuation of rape myths. Perpetrators have included, but are not limited to, athletes, hospitality workers, reporters, prosecutors, politicians, military personnel, students, teachers, and taxi drivers. Perpetrators have been acquainted with the victims or have been strangers.
Japanese courts and judges have been criticized for handing out light sentences and acquitting perpetrators. Some Japanese law enforcement have been censured for their lack of care concerning rape victim reports and investigations Japanese police have discouraged victims from reporting rapes. Rape cases have been dropped by police, but victims pursue civil cases; some result in settlements or low compensation. Victims who come forward have received backlash on social media and threats.
The extent of rape in the nation is unknown because of the lack of reporting and other factors, but there have been incidents that reached the public's attention.Asahi Shimbun, 21 April 1989, evening edition, p. 19, "波紋広がる女高生殺人 少年法改正の論議が活発に [High school girl murder causes controversy; active debate over juvenile law reform]" History
Rape in Japan has been recorded from ancient times to the present. Ishikozume executions were carried out against alleged perpetrators of rape in Ancient Japan. During the Edo period, power holders, such as Inoue Masamoto, raped women. During the Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa eras, rapes committed by Genzo Kurita, Ryuun Daimai, Satarō Fukiage, Seisaku Nakamura, and Yoshio Kodaira received media attention.
Rape was committed by Imperial Japanese Armed Forces personnel throughout the Empire of Japan during the Asia–Pacific War. Comfort women from Japan and other nations were sex trafficked and sexually assaulted throughout the Japanese mainland and Japanese-occupied territories. There was rape during the occupation of Japan and afterwards by United States Armed Forces personnel. The 1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Yumiko-chan incident, 1995 Okinawa rape incident, and other occurrences were reported. Rapes continue to be committed in Japan by U.S. service members and contractors. Rapes have led to protests against the US military presence in Okinawa and other prefectures. Sexual assaults have also been committed by personnel in the Japan Self-Defense Forces and by government workers.
Juvenile and adult rapes in the country's post-war included, but were not limited to, the rape, torture, and murder of Junko Furuta, the Super Free incidents, Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal, and crimes committed by Joji Obara, Kiyoshi Ōkubo, Koichi Shoji, Mamoru Takuma, Masato Uchishiba, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, Yasunori Suzuki, and Yukio Yamaji.
Rape media have been produced in Japan.
Definitions Types In Japan, as in many other places, rapes can be divided into two main categories. One is "fushizen rape" (不自然), or relational rape, where the rape is carried out by a person the offended party already knows/has a relationship with and/or there is no particular physical violence involved. There is also "tsūjō rape" (通常), or assault rape, where you are, potentially violently, assaulted by an unknown person and the act of rape. It can be difficult to know where the difference lies between these. The majority of all rapes are relational rapes. In Japan, marital rape was considered to be non-existent, because when the woman says yes to marriage it is seen as giving permanent consent to sexual contact and has thus given up sexual autonomy. Due to the permanent consent, it is believed that rape cannot take place in this situation.
Legal The legislation and definition of rape in Japan are defined in the Penal Code which was created in 1907. Until the legislation was changed in 2017, the legal definition of an act of rape was as follows: (Article 177) Penal Code of Japan is when one uses force or threatening behavior to force oneself for vaginal intercourse. All other types of sexual abuse in Japan fall under the category of "Forcible Indecency", also called "indecent assault" (Article 176). Because the terminology used is so broad, this category includes everything from groping (chikan, 痴漢), to more serious sexual assaults such as rape by men etc. Thus, by legal definition, only women could be victims of rape and only men could rape. This changed when the law underwent a reform in 2017. The reform included recognition of male rape victims, a longer minimum statutory penalty and the ability for public prosecutors to indict an offender without requiring a victim to file a complaint. The reform didn't change the requirement for proscecutors to prove that violence or intimidation was involved or that the victim was incapable of resistance. In 2023 there was a second reform that broadened the definition of rape to any non-consensual intercourse.
Statistics The Japanese rape statistics are 20 times lower than the US, and the country has a very strong judicial system where over 99% of all criminal cases in court end in a conviction.Ramseyer,J. Mark and Rasmusen,Eric B.(2001), 'Why Is the Japanese Conviction Rate So High?', The Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 30, No. 1 (January 2001), pp. 53-88 (18.april 2013) However, this comparison is misleading as there are significant differences in the legal definition of "rape" in the US and Japan (at least before the Penal Code reform of 2023) and a high under-reporting rate in Japan. A Cabinet of Japan survey stated that one in fourteen women in the nation reported experiencing forced intercourse. Government figures in the 2020s reveal that 1 in 12.5, or 8.1 percent, of Japanese women have been raped. Of that number, less than 2 percent reported the sexual violence to the police.
Rape Year Known to police Clearances Arrests 1990 1548 1274 1289 1995 1500 1410 1160 2000 2260 1540 1486 2005 2076 1443 1074 2008 1590 1326 951 2009 1415 1163 918 2010 1293 1063 803 2011 1193 993 768 2012 1266 1097 858 2013 1409 1163 937 2014 1250 1100 919 2015 1167 1114 933 2016 989 970 875 2017 1109 1027 910 2018 1307 1190 1088 2019 1405 1311 1178 2020 1332 1297 1177 2021 1388 1330 1251 2022 1655 1401 1339 2023 2711 2073 1875 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication;Statistics Bureau, Director-General for Policy Planning(statistical standards) & Statistical Reaseach and Training Institute: Chapter 25 Justice and Police, 25-1 Crime Cases Known to the Police, Cases Cleared up and Arrestees by Type of Crime, (21. april 2013) Crimes in Japan in 2016 page 21Statistical data on criminal offenses in 2023 page 21 Cases where the perpetrator is a minor have their own statistical category, which means that no one between the ages of 14-19 is included in these figures.
Indecent assault Year Known to police Clearances Arrests 2007 7664 3542 2240 2008 7137 3555 2219 2009 6723 3563 2129 2009 6688 3563 2129 2010 7068 3637 2189 2011 6929 3550 2217 2012 7321 3946 2451 2013 7654 3967 2487 2014 7400 4300 2602 2015 6755 4129 2644 2016 6188 4207 2799 2017 5809 4320 2837 2018 5340 4288 2923 2019 4900 3999 2926 2020 4154 3766 2760 2021 4283 3868 2903 2022 4708 4062 3067 2023 6096 4813 3804 Page 53 page 50 (Nearly 70% of the reported cases in this category are supposedly groping (called chikan, 痴漢) on public transport.)
Anti-rape efforts
Government response There has been an increase in sexual education discussing consent in schools. The government has organized public awareness campaigns. Child pornography laws in Japan have been passed in an attempt to reduce the rape of adolescents for commercial purpose.
Activism and advocacy Individuals such as Shiori Itō and Koyuki Higashi have brought attention to the issues concerning rape in Japan.
References