Sex assault case against Japanese soccer player Ito dropped

Earlier this year, Ito, who had played for Japan at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, withdrew from the national team during the Asian Cup as the allegations were made public.

So now let's see the national team take him back.

Prosecutors have decided not to indict Japanese soccer player Junya Ito, citing a lack of evidence over a criminal complaint that alleged he engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts with two women.

I can just imagine some of the comments that are going to come here from this comment. Lack of evidence, does that clear him?

What makes things murkier here is the prosecutors also refused to indict the women.

The Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office also decided not to indict the women in response to a complaint filed against them by Ito, 31, alleging they had made a false accusation containing information that differed from objective facts.

So if they dont indict the women for making false claims, does that mean that what they said was "factual", but only that there was no evidence to back it up?

So did he get off purely because of no evidence? If that is the case kudos to the cops for doing their jobs. I have seen far too many cases written about here, about people who have been convicted with NO evidence.

Let's hope this continues!

If he was falsely accused, then the two women should be PROSECUTED for defamation, at least civilly if not criminally. And their names should also be made known.

No evidence means that the women withdrew their complaint. An agreement was likely made between the parties and a bank deposit made. Who paid whom? Not difficult to work out, surely?

Well done Prosecutors, I personally felt the this case was very weak from the start since the two ladies were already in the hotel rooms after dining and drinking.

They were NOT dragged or forced into the rooms, they could have walked away after the meal and drinks but have chosen to carry on with their plans.

Hervé L'EisaToday  08:59 am JST

If he was falsely accused, then the two women should be PROSECUTED for defamation, at least civilly if not criminally. And their names should also be made known.

Japan's sexual violence laws are woefully inadequate, and when combined with the inept judicial process and cultural context, Japanese women stand to gain nothing but justice and dignity from pursuing these cases. The process is incredibly difficult anywhere, but in Japan, it is especially hellish for female claimants. With only 4% of sexual assault cases being reported, let alone prosecuted, the likelihood of a false accusation is infinitesimally small.

As Mr Kipling says, it is most likely that they reached an agreement outside of court, which is common practice in Japan.

Dido: Inept judicial process compare to what other. I hear this all the time, I have a mate who got caught with a few LSD tables in Osaka inn 1979. He receive three months. Compare that to say Indo and he be dead. Compare that to the USA in 1979 he could get a slap on the hand or life depend your status and where in the USA. Japan has a convention rate of 99% for a bloke who believe in having law and order that is a excellent conviction rate not so if you are a criminal.

Wow, so many on here have no idea how the Japanese prosecution and legal system works. The girls withdrew their statements, there is no case without them. Most cases are "solved" this way. How much did it cost? is the question.

It was deemed false accusation but no indictement. What a farce !

I don't care what genders are the victims and agressors. Why law when a conclusion is reached over evidence is not applied in Japan ?

Money shall never rule in alll cases.

Jonathan PrinToday  01:34 pm JST

It was deemed false accusation but no indictement. What a farce !

I don't care what genders are the victims and agressors. Why law when a conclusion is reached over evidence is not applied in Japan ?

Money shall never rule in alll cases.

The defendant claimed it was a false accusation, not the court ruling it was a false accusation.

As others have pointed out, the likelihood it was a false accusation, though not impossible, is low in the extreme.

As Mr Kipling rightly said, a lot of people seem misinformed about Japan's judicial system, especially on the crimes of sexual violence. Well worth your time doing a little independent research.

No evidence means that the women withdrew their complaint.

Your "logic" is seriously flawed. First off if they had withdrawn their complaint, HIS complaint would moved forward, but it didnt. Also a simple "complaint is definitely no proof of evidence that a crime was committed.

By your flawed assumption and misguided logic, simply making an accusation against a person is evidence enough of a crime.

An agreement was likely made between the parties and a bank deposit made. Who paid whom? Not difficult to work out, surely?

So they paid each other off? Again it is silly to even assume or even consider either side paid the other compensation.

Australian Courts have a high rate of acquittal in sex assault cases.

Cant compare with Japan's system of cause, but the assertion that a "false accusation " is unlikely "in the extreme " not borne out by Australian results.

Why cant women or men make false accusations ?

People lie and exaggerate daily.

In this instance , Police probably unable to "coerce " a confession from accused, the Police and Prosecution inept in finding other evidence IF there was any.

And maybe "money changed hands " as raised above.

Unfortunately the complete lack of transparency of the whole process means everybody ends up with a bad reputation (including the police and judges) by this result.

Nothing really to see here. What the prosecutors meant was that neither accusation has enough evidence behind it for a good prospect of conviction, so the case isn't worth pursuing.

It's said that even in a civil case, in a Continental Law system you need 85% probability to win (as opposed to 50% in a Common Law system). The criminal standard is even higher but we can use this as a starting point. The probability of the woman's accusations was assessed as under 85%, as is the man's counteraccusation.

So the chance of the woman's version being true is estimated between 15 and 85%.

Anyway, his name is known and the women’s names are not known. So women in modern Japan are bringing cases forward now, but their names are protected while men’s are not. That invites a lot of possibly false accusations.

""Anyway, his name is known and the women’s names are not known. So women in modern Japan are bringing cases forward now, but their names are protected while men’s are not. That invites a lot of possibly false accusations.""

100% agree,

It's a one way justice we live in, men are screwed any way you look at it.

Unfortunately the complete lack of transparency of the whole process means everybody ends up with a bad reputation (including the police and judges) by this result.

Yes, this is highly unsatisfactory. This story as is does not encourage women to trust men, men to trust women, women to trust the justice system, or men to trust the justice system. It just ends with "pretend none of it happened".

Ito's claim of a false accusations was "probably" part of the defense pressure. The end agreement would have included the dropping of this claim.

The girls avoided an uncomfortable court case and got some cash while Ito's reputation will always be in the toilet.

I doubt he will play for Japan again. I hope he learned a lesson.

WoodyLeeToday  

""Anyway, his name is known and the women’s names are not known. So women in modern Japan are bringing cases forward now, but their names are protected while men’s are not. That invites a lot of possibly false accusations.""

100% agree,

It's a one way justice we live in, men are screwed any way you look at it.

I get that men can go through a lot when they're accused, especially with the stigma and all that, but when it comes to the Japanese legal system, women really have it tougher.

The cultural stigma, the insanely high burden of proof, and weak legal protections make it hard for women even to report sexual assault, let alone get justice. They often face serious social backlash and a legal process that's just brutal (e.g. they have to act out rape to the court).

While it's tough for both men and women, the deck is really stacked against women in Japan's system.

Hope those NDAs the women got with their payouts aren't too crazy, because now they are probably no longer going to be able to claim they were raped. Ever.

I hope he goes after the two ladies for false accusations, and I hope that this will be a good lesson for the gold diggers roaming around the rich and famous.

Mr KiplingAug. 12 06:30 pm JST

... I hope he learned a lesson.

I think this is a good sentence, worth to talk about it. What should men really learn or do to avoid such an unpleasant situation when in contact with women?

Unfortunately there is very little advice for men.

Maybe in this case soccer player Junya Ito should have refused to enter their hotel room even if invited to join them? To refuse any private contact with a woman in case she is drinking some alcohol with him because in case of any sexual contact she might regret later she can accuse him she did not consent, she was drunk?

Or plainly to refuse to socialize with women even for dinner, if you are a politician, celebrity, rich businessman etc. as anything what might happen, even some private talk, can be used against you as a man often weeks or months later?

What about to refuse any private talk with a female at your workplace?

There are already complaints from women who understand that the dating scene is broken, very risky - men are mistrusting and totally ignoring them, never approaching them - but is it not better for men to be safe than sorry?

WoodyLeeToday 01:14 am JST

I hope he goes after the two ladies for false accusations, and I hope that this will be a good lesson for the gold diggers roaming around the rich and famous.

I don't think such lawsuits might be successful. It is better to think already in advance how to avoid such a situation from the very beginning on. The best and only way I can think about it is to ignore such women entirely and if they show up approaching you not even willing to try, do not invite them for dinner with you.

Never visit them in their hotel room, always stay in the public area, like hotel lobby or restaurant for your own safety.

Rape is one of the most difficult crimes to prosecute so this should not be a surprise.

To the people who always make the assumption that women lie about sexual assault while at the same time not doubting the man's denials: you're part of the problem. Just because there isn't enough evidence to prosecute does not mean the woman lied.

Just because there isn't enough evidence to prosecute does not mean the woman lied.

And just because there isnt enough evidence doesnt mean he lied either. It goes both ways, yet you always conveniently forget to mention that in your posts.

People who automatically assume the woman's accusations are fact and the man is a liar are also a part of the problem.