The Armed Forces of Japan reported Thursday the termination of five of its troops for sexually harassing a female colleague from spring 2020 to August 2021, after which the woman decided in June to leave the ranks of the Asian country’s Army and report the situation.
In addition to these five men, aged between 20 and 40, a commander has been suspended from employment and pay for six months for failing to report and properly handle the complaint filed by Rina Gonoi, 23, who was part of his unit.
A second lieutenant has been reprimanded for making «sexually explicit» comments, as have two other senior officers who have been accused of violating their duties in supervising personnel.
Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of the ground staff, told a news conference that he is seeking to «introduce persistent measures» to ensure it does not happen again, according to reports from the Kiodo news agency. «We take this very seriously and will establish an organizational culture that does not tolerate harassment,» he said.
Gonoi, for his part, said he hopes the five servicemen «will take the decision responsibly and sincerely.» The Defense Ministry has indicated that Gonoi reported being subjected to sexual harassment on a daily basis while working in Fukushima Prefecture. After leaving the Army, Gonoi filed a petition with the Defense Ministry to open an investigation into her case.
