Japan court convicts 3 ex-servicemen in sexual assault case brought by former junior soldier
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court has convicted three former servicemen in a sexual assault case that authorities had dropped until the victim, a former servicemember, came forward demanding an investigation, prompting a military-wide harassment probe. The Fukushima District Court on Tuesday ordered the former Japanese army soldiers to two years in prison but suspended the sentences for four years — meaning they won’t actually serve time in prison. Her revelation prompted a military-wide investigation into sexual harassment and other abuse cases in September 2022, and prosecutors reopened her case. A government panel investigation found widespread coverups of sexual harassment and power abuse cases.