1,414 cases of harassment reported in SDF

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:31 JST, December 16, 2022

The Defense Ministry announced Thursday that an internal investigation on harassment within the Self-Defense Forces revealed 1,414 cases, mostly of power harassment.

Reacting to a sexual assault complaint filed by Gonoi that was made public and other incidences, the Inspector General’s Office of Legal Compliance asked all SDF members to report between Sept. 13 and the end of November if they had ever experienced any forms of abuse.

The respondents were asked to provide their names and military affiliations.

According to the ministry, about 80% of the complaints involved power harassment and about 10% sexual abuse. As for reporting the incident, 28.1% said they had not consulted with anyone within their unit, while 31.2% said an investigation ended with an inadequate response.