OSAKA ¨C A female Japanese prosecutor has sued the state for damages related to a high-profile sexual assault case involving a former head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutor¡¯s Office.
The lawsuit, filed with the Osaka District Court, demands a total of about ?83 million ($541,000) from the state, the former head of the office and other senior prosecutors at the time.
At a news conference on Tuesday, the plaintiff said her life ¡°has been chipped away by the prosecution organization¡¯s terrible response over the past two years since reporting the assault.¡±
¡°I hope that the court will clarify what is wrong with the prosecution organization, and that effective measures to prevent a recurrence will be implemented,¡± she said.
In the sexual assault case, Kentaro Kitagawa, 66, has been charged with sexually assaulting the plaintiff at his home in the city of Osaka in September 2018. Kitagawa admitted to the allegation during the first court hearing of his trial in October 2024, but he later pleaded not guilty, claiming he thought he had received the victim¡¯s consent.
In the damages lawsuit, the plaintiff is pursuing Kitagawa¡¯s civil liability for the case, while saying the then-deputy head of the Osaka prosecutor¡¯s office obstructed the investigation and made defamatory statements, and that the other defendants spread the defamation and attempted to silence her.
Meanwhile, she says the state violated its duty of care related to the work environment and her rights as a victim to participate in criminal proceedings.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.