Black Box Diaries

Pitch

Since 2015, Shiori Ito has been challenging the antiquated norms of Japanese society after she was sexually assaulted by a powerful man, close to the Prime Minister. Alone against the world and having to face the weaknesses of the Judiciary and the Media system, the journalist conducted her own investigation, determined to break the silence and disclose the truth.

"In Japan, where speaking about rape is taboo, only 4% of victims report their assault to the police. The victims and their family circle might be stigmatized, even ostracized and my family were against what I was doing. The police investigator who was about to arrest Yamaguchi as he returned from the United States at Narita airport before receiving a last-minute call from "above" warned me I was ruining my budding career as a journalist. But I deeply wanted to disclose the truth and change Japanese society in order to avoid what happened to me happening to other women... My speaking out shocked public opinion. There was violent retaliation from the far-right in an online campaign of hate messages and death threats, and on top of that, criticism from ordinary Japanese citizens." Ito Shiori