3 ex-SDF members found guilty of sexually assaulting female colleague in landmark case

Well can't imagine many young women would want to join after this. Not a good look for the JGSDF. Good luck with your recruitment drive.

The men, aged from 29 to 31, seemed to show little expression as the judge read out his verdict, giving them each a suspended sentence of two years.

I'm surprised Gonoi seemed relatively content with yet another Suspended Sentence. At least in this case, they are fired, and hopefully the conviction will make it harder for them to find a decent job.

As widely expected only suspended sentences, but at least a guilty verdict. Hopefully this will help other victims come forward and seek justice.

Good for Rina she was like a dog with a bone and never gave it up. Rina would been coping plenty from the force Inside and from the public outside. I hope Rina can overcome this awful stage of her life. I also hope they look after Rina money wise but seeing the pay out on compensation cases in Japan I very much doubt it.

The justice is a joke.

Another suspended sentence.

You can sexualy abuse women with literally no consequences.

Good on her.

Shame their is no punishment for the perpetrators though.

This thing will happen again and again, sadly.

So no military courts in Japan?

Agree with @tora

Japanese shouldn't go anywhere near the SDF.

Very glad to see justice done in the verdict here, even if the punishment is very light.

It's truly awful what she's had to go through (and is still going through) to get here, but hopefully things are beginning to change for the better.

The ruling was correct but the sentencing was too light. I've said it before, but in actual combat situations your life may depend on the soldier wearing the same uniform, whether it be male or female. These defendants need to get out into the real world. Military service anywhere is not an extension of high school.

Earlier I meant to say Japanese women should not seek a career in the SDF.

A suspended sentence of two years.

An opportunity missed, to send a message that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

They walk free.

A custodial sentence would have been much more appropriate.

The court opted to make the best of a bad situation with this face-saving compromise. No penetration means she can still hold her head high when she heads down the virgin road. Although whether that’s as the groom or the bride is open to question.

In Japan a suspended sentence is still a verdict of guilty with a penalty.

That penalty means your social and economic future is gone.

Employment and marriage prospects, social standing are gone.

A guilty verdict in Japan is not the same as in other countries.

And not as light as some here imagine.

gary

"...giving them each a suspended sentence of two years."

Disgusting but not unexpected.

Suspended sentences as I predicted yesterday.

How typical of a Japanese court.

Well can't imagine many young women would want to join after this. Not a good look for the JGSDF. Good luck with your recruitment drive.

While I agree that much more needed to be done to protect the women currently serving in the JSDF, I believe that Japan should not blindly follow into the footstep of the American that are subsconciously lowering the standard of its army by recruiting so many women as infantrymen.

There's gotta be reason to the fact that after the battle of Mariupol, the gender of almost the entirety of Ukrainian casualties started shifting wholly to men. As the Ukrainians found out that women fighting on the frontlines are liabilities that will be exploited by its enemy.

These guys have been handed down a sentence, wether or not it's a tough or a light sentence is debatable, the point is it's made a legal precedent, so any more type of action like this in the SDF or possibly with a company can or might be used to help the next person to bring a charge against someone.

Gary, yes the stigma of being found guilty of such a crime will stick.

However, memories are short, and many industries are suffering severe labour shortages.

Suspended sentence for sexual assault? Absolute rubbish.

As others have said, this case and verdict is a clear signal for women - and even men - NOT to join the SDF. You will be assaulted, your dream career will be destroyed - and the scum who assaulted you will walk free.

I hope young Ms Gonoi at least gets some justice in the civil suit.

That penalty means your social and economic future is gone.

Not true.

We got soo many examples of Suspended Sentences in the past where the politicians go back to their positions after the 1 or 2 years of suspended sentence.

Can't see any social consequences either, simply because their names have not been published.

As I said, You can abuse sexually of a woman with literally no consequences.

CONGRATULATIONS to you and to the justice system for standing up to the STEREO type.

Well dome .

lunaticToday 07:31 pm JST

That penalty means your social and economic future is gone.

Not true.

We got soo many examples of Suspended Sentences in the past where the politicians go back to their positions after the 1 or 2 years of suspended sentence.

Suzuki Muneo came back after actually serving time (he was set up by faction rivals).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muneo_Suzuki

Who are these "politicians go back to their positions after the 1 or 2 years of suspended sentence."

Names please.

gary

Names please.

Tadahiro Matsuda (2017), Tsuyoshi Takagi (2018), Takeo Kawamura (2018), Yuzo Takasaki (2019).

I believe this should have been classed as attempted rape as force was used and pressure applied to the groin.

Women throughout the world must be protected and treated as equals by society whatever the religion.

No justice. Shame on the judge.

What is with this suspended sentence obsession by judges?

Judge......Oh, so you only SA a woman, that is OK then. Will a suspended sentence be alright this time? Rina Gonoi had the guts and true courage to publicly let her name be published, yet the cowards who did this have been given anonymity WHY??? They should have least gotten 2 years inside a cosy Japanese prison cell.

What is with this suspended sentence obsession by judges?

First, the idea that the defendant has sacrificed enough - a viewpoint that has been displayed on this thread as well. He lost his job, a lot of his ability to find a new one, blah blah blah. For a politician or anyone who has accumulated enough to not really need a job, such arguments are worthless but for a regular guy it is a bit more persuasive.

Second, jurisprudence. Since the system has sentenced the 99 forceful indecency convicts before him to suspended sentences, it'd be unfair to suddenly raise the bar for convict #100. This is actually a legally colorable stance.

Given these two, the only solution I can see is to either raise the minimum sentence to shut out the suspended sentences, or to specifically write that this crime cannot be processed by a suspended sentence.