Japan's army issues rare apology over sexual harassment case

Former Japanese soldier Rina Gonoi came forward in late August to request a reinvestigation of an alleged assault on her in 2021 by former male colleagues

In a rare admission of sexual harassment in Japan's military, its army chief apologised on September 29 to a former soldier for suffering caused by a group of service members.

Yoshihide Yoshida, head of Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force, said an internal investigation found evidence that several servicemen were involved in the case brought by former soldier Rina Gonoi last month.

“Representing the Ground-Self Defence Force, I deeply apologise to Ms. Gonoi for the pain she had to suffer for a long time,” Mr. Yoshida told a news conference. “We offer a sincere apology.”

The investigation was ongoing and further details, including the assailants and their punishment, were not yet released on Thursday.

Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada earlier this month ordered a ministry-wide investigation into growing reports of sexual assault after Ms. Gonoi brought allegations of harassment of her and others.

Ms. Gonoi came forward in late August to request a reinvestigation of an alleged assault on her in 2021 by former male colleagues.

She also said she had received information from 146 service members who said they had been harassed while on duty.