Assailants apologize to ex-Japanese soldier over harassment

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A former Japanese soldier who suffered sexual harassment while serving in the army says she has accepted apologies from four servicemen in a groundbreaking case that prompted a Defense Ministry-wide investigation into growing reports of assaults in the military. Rina Gonoi filed a sexual harassment case with the ministry last year, saying she had suffered multiple assaults by male colleagues. After prosecutors dropped the case, she quit the army and submitted a petition signed by more than 100,000 people seeking a reinvestigation. In a country where gender inequality remains high, sexual harassment is often disregarded. Japanese women have slowly begun to speak up, though many still suffer silently.