Sexual violence victims, lawyers in Japan seek injury charge for PTSD
Version 2: Tokyo Shimbun and TBS NEWS DIG have now covered the launch, adding the group's appeal outside the Osaka District Court and testimony from a woman in her 20s about the after-effects of sexual violence; the underlying facts of the launch and the group's plans are unchanged.
In short
Victims of sexual violence, lawyers and medical professionals said on 5 October that they had launched a group in Osaka seeking recognition of PTSD caused by sexual violence as an injury in criminal proceedings, so that the heavier charge of “causing injury” can apply. The group includes a former prosecutor who says she was sexually assaulted by the former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, now on trial. The group plans to explain cases to the Justice Ministry and prosecutors and to petition the top prosecutors' office.
Read the full story 3 min read
Victims of sexual violence, lawyers and medical professionals said at a press conference in Osaka on 5 October that they had launched a group seeking recognition of PTSD caused by sexual violence as an injury in criminal proceedings, so that the heavier charge of “causing injury” (致傷) can apply. Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun reported the group is named the Association Seeking Recognition of PTSD as Injury (“PTSD致傷認定を望む会”). NHK News reported the group was set up because there are cases in which charges matching victims' claims of PTSD are not applied, and it is calling for a review of practice. Tokyo Shimbun reported that lawyer Yoshiko Tanaka and others appealed for the application of the injury charge in front of the Osaka District Court on the afternoon of 5 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Yoshiko Tanaka, a lawyer and former prosecutor who is a central figure in the group, said more than half of sexual crime victims develop PTSD, while prosecutors rarely indict on the more heavily punished charge of “causing injury”, so the reality of the harm is not adequately assessed. Asahi Shimbun quoted her as saying, “The suffering of PTSD is invisible. Compared with visible wounds, it is ignored.” Mainichi Shimbun quoted certified psychologist Miyoko Nagae, who works with victims of sexual violence, as saying that if judicial proceedings continue without PTSD being correctly understood, victims will be isolated from society. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
The group includes a former prosecutor who says she was sexually assaulted by Kentaro Kitagawa, 67, former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, who is on trial charged with quasi-forcible intercourse, according to Mainichi Shimbun and Nikkei. Nikkei reported that she submitted documents to the Osaka District Court the same day and told the press conference in Osaka, “I want them to listen to the reality of victims.” Nikkei added that Kitagawa admitted the charges at the first hearing in 2024 and later changed to pleading not guilty, with the trial continuing. Asahi Shimbun reported that she had asked prosecutors and the court to change the charge to “causing injury”, but that no change is expected. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
In a separate matter, Asahi Shimbun and Nikkei reported that the Osaka No.2 Prosecution Review Commission decided on 1 October that non-indictment was appropriate for a female deputy prosecutor whom the woman had accused of defamation; the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office had not indicted her. Asahi quoted the decision as finding there was not enough evidence to overturn the non-indictment. The woman said she would pursue responsibility in a civil lawsuit based on new evidence, Asahi reported. [ 1 , 6 ]
Mainichi Shimbun reported the group plans to collect cases of harm and explain the situation to the Justice Ministry and prosecutors. Nikkei reported the group, made up of lawyers, medical workers and victims, plans to make representations to the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office. Asahi Shimbun reported the group was started by five volunteers, with two victims and about 20 lawyers and certified psychologists supporting it. TBS NEWS DIG, whose article was available only as a feed summary, quoted a woman in her 20s describing the lasting effects of sexual violence, saying she wonders whether people who resemble the defendant she sees nearby are him. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The group is asking prosecutors and courts to change how they classify harm in sexual violence cases, which would affect the charges defendants face and the sentences they receive. It also presses the Justice Ministry and the courts over a case in which the alleged victim is a former prosecutor, drawing attention to how the justice system handles complaints from inside it. The documents give no indication of how the authorities have responded to the group's requests.
Key facts
- Victims, lawyers and medical professionals announced at a press conference in Osaka on 5 October the launch of a group seeking recognition of PTSD from sexual violence as an injury in criminal proceedings. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The group is named the Association Seeking Recognition of PTSD as Injury (“PTSD致傷認定を望む会”) and wants the Justice Ministry, prosecutors and courts to improve their practice. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Lawyer and former prosecutor Yoshiko Tanaka said more than half of sexual crime victims develop PTSD while indictments on the more heavily punished charge of “causing injury” are extremely rare. [ 1 ]
- Certified psychologist Miyoko Nagae said that if judicial proceedings continue without PTSD being correctly understood, victims will be isolated from society. [ 5 ]
- The group includes a former prosecutor who says she was sexually assaulted by Kentaro Kitagawa, 67, former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, who is on trial charged with quasi-forcible intercourse. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- The Osaka No.2 Prosecution Review Commission decided on 1 October that non-indictment was appropriate for a female deputy prosecutor whom the woman had accused of defamation. [ 1 , 6 ]
- The group plans to collect cases and explain the situation to the Justice Ministry and prosecutors, and to make representations to the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun reported that lawyer Yoshiko Tanaka and others appealed for the application of the injury charge in front of the Osaka District Court on the afternoon of 5 October. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A group seeking recognition of PTSD caused by sexual violence as an injury was announced at a press conference in Osaka on 5 October, with the aim of changing how prosecutors and courts apply charges. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- A former prosecutor who says she was sexually assaulted by the former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office is among those involved in the group. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- Kentaro Kitagawa, 67, former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, is on trial charged with quasi-forcible intercourse. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- The group intends to press the Justice Ministry, prosecutors and courts, and to petition the top prosecutors' office. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- The Osaka No.2 Prosecution Review Commission decided that non-indictment was appropriate for a female deputy prosecutor whom the woman had accused of defamation. [ 1 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the charge in the Kitagawa case will be changed to “causing injury”. Asahi Shimbun reports that no change is expected, citing the woman's side; there is no official confirmation in the documents.
- Whether more than half of sexual crime victims develop PTSD. The figure is attributed to lawyer Yoshiko Tanaka in a single document and is not backed by cited data.
- The size and composition of the group. Only Asahi Shimbun gives numbers — five founders, two victims and about 20 supporters — and no other outlet confirms them.
- The handling of the woman's complaint against a female deputy prosecutor. Asahi Shimbun names the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office and the Osaka No.2 Prosecution Review Commission, while Nikkei describes a review request to a prosecution review commission and the same 1 October decision without naming either body.
- The account of a woman in her 20s describing the after-effects of sexual violence, quoted by TBS NEWS DIG. Only a feed summary of TBS NEWS DIG's article was available and the woman is identified only as a woman in her 20s; no other outlet carries her account.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Asahi Shimbun reports that lawyers, medical workers and women suffering from PTSD held a press conference and will press the Justice Ministry, prosecutors and courts to improve practice. [ 1 ]
- NHK News reports that a former prosecutor who says she was sexually assaulted and lawyers set up a group seeking the application of charges that reflect PTSD. [ 2 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun reports that lawyer Yoshiko Tanaka and others appealed for the application of the injury charge in front of the Osaka District Court on the afternoon of 5 October. [ 3 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports that victims and lawyers called for the “wounds of the heart” from sexual violence to be tested in criminal proceedings and quoted a woman in her 20s on the after-effects. [ 4 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reports the group was launched at a press conference in Osaka and that it plans to collect cases and explain the situation to the Justice Ministry and prosecutors. [ 5 ]
- Nikkei reports the woman submitted documents to the Osaka District Court the same day and that the group plans to make representations to the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office. [ 6 ]
- The Osaka No.2 Prosecution Review Commission decides that non-indictment was appropriate for a female deputy prosecutor accused of defamation, according to Asahi Shimbun and Nikkei. [ 1 , 6 ]