Die Staatsanwaltschaft von Tokio wird den wegen Vergewaltigung einer Frau, die auf einer Straße in Shibuya angegriffen wurde, verhafteten NHK-Direktor nicht anklagen. Es erfolgt keine Erklärung.

Settled out of court I presume

Same story all over the world: Rape is legal if you’re rich enough.

Likely not enough evidence to convict. Japanese prosecutors don’t normally indict unless they are confident they can convict.

Disgusting

This seems like another application of the thoroughly awful jidan (示談) system whereby perpetrators, if wealthy enough, can frequently pay their way out of trouble. In the past, both victim and the perps lawyers, as well as the police themselves, would frequently encourage victims to accept a payment in return for not pressing charges. I don’t know the extent to which such pressure still exists but some crimes are supposed to be outside this system.

Things like defamation and even some ‚minor‘ sexual crimes like voyeurism fall under shinkokuzai (親告罪) meaning they are only prosecuted upon complaint. More serious crimes such as murder, robbery, and drug offenses fall under hishinkokuzai (非親告罪) meaning they will be prosecuted regardless. In 2017 long-overdue legal reforms moved most sexual offenses into the latter category so it should be impossible to use jidan for crimes like this but given [the basic details](https://www.shimotsuke.co.jp/articles/-/1301453) of the case it seems like pressure behind the scenes still has massive impact on sexual violence cases and the ability to avoid disclosure of any details to „protect the honor of those involved“ seems far more a loophole used to protect the public image of suspects and their employers than it is for the protection of Japanese women.

Incidents like this need to become test cases for further reforms of the still archaic legal process.

Precisely why I refuse to pay NHK

Classic Japan

I can’t wait to have the NHK guy coming to my house and asking him about it in broken japanese