Three former members of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual indecency against a female subordinate in 2021 during their trial's first hearing on Thursday.
The case has gained substantial public attention as the victim, Rina Gonoi, 23, made the rare move last year of coming forward to expose sexual offenses while serving as a GSDF member. This prompted the Defense Ministry to dismiss the three and increase its efforts in addressing harassment issues.
At the Fukushima District Court, the three former GSDF sergeants -- Shutaro Shibuya, Akito Sekine and Yusuke Kimezawa -- claimed they did not press their lower bodies against Gonoi at a training facility in Hokkaido in August 2021, denying charges of indecency through compulsion.
According to the indictment, while eating and drinking with others, the three used martial arts moves to forcefully position Gonoi face-up onto a bed. They then got on top of her, pressing their bodies against hers.
Gonoi, who was serving in a unit at Camp Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture but left the GSDF in June last year, was present for the hearing on Thursday.
"I still get flashbacks of the assault, and I simply can't do judo now, which I loved," she told the court under questioning by the prosecutors.
The case had taken a series of twists and turns ahead of the trial.
The three were referred to prosecutors by the GSDF's police unit in January last year for alleged indecency but were not detained. Subsequently, the charges were dropped due to insufficient grounds for suspicion.
However, the case was reopened based on a decision by an independent panel of citizens responsible for reviewing prosecutors' decisions in September.
The three were subsequently indicted without arrest by Fukushima prosecutors in March this year.
After resigning from the GSDF in June 2022, Gonoi initiated an online campaign using her real name to raise awareness about the harassment she had endured, culminating in August when she presented the Defense Ministry with a petition containing over 100,000 signatures, calling for a thorough probe into the case.
The ministry has apologized to Gonoi, acknowledging the sexual harassment she endured between the fall of 2020 and August 2021. A total of five GSDF members, including the three defendants, faced disciplinary discharges.
In January of this year, Gonoi lodged a separate damages suit with the Yokohama District Court against the five and the state. Four of the men, including all three defendants in the current case, have expressed their intention to contest the lawsuit.
Related coverage:
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Woman who served in SDF sues state, assailants over sexual harassment
FOCUS: Ex-SDF member vows to move on from sexual assault but pain won't heal
