Shiori Ito: Japan’s MeToo icon is up for an Oscar

When Japanese journalist Shiuri Eto’o decided to talk about rape allegations, she knew that she was standing in a society that preferred silence.

“I am afraid … but all I want to do is talk about the truth,” says Siuri in the opening scene of her documentary film that was nominated for the Academy Award.

Xuery became the face of Mito in Japan after she accused a prominent journalist Norioki Yamaguyi of rape.

Her famous director, based on her memoirs of the same name, is a narration of her pursuit of justice after the authorities found that the evidence is not sufficient to follow the criminal charges.

But there is one country in which it has not yet played: Japan, as it faced a great debate. Her former lawyers accused her of including audio and video clips that she had not used to use, which, as they say, violated confidence and put its sources at risk. Shyuri defended what she did as necessary for “General Good”.

It is an amazing turning point in a story that acquired Japan when she was first broken-28-year-old Shyuri ignored her family to stay silent. After her general charge did not lead to a criminal case, she filed a civil lawsuit against Yamaguchi and won $ 30,000 (22,917 pounds) as compensation.

I tell the BBC, the movie is making “Restore its shock”: “It took me four years [to make the film] Because he emotionally I was suffering. “

She was a Reuters trainee in 2015, when she says Yamaguchi invited her to discuss the opportunity to work. The head of the Washington office was a major Japanese media company, Tokyo Broadcast.

Shyuri claims that she was raped after a dinner in Tokyo with Yamagucci, who has always denied these allegations.

CCTV shots for a taxi from a taxi and a hotel are part of more than 400 hours of the shots that she edited for the documentary.

She says the liberation process was “very difficult. It was like treating militant exposure.”

When the film was released, CCTV shots became a source of friction as a team of former shops in Shyuri, which helped her win a lawsuit, criticized the documentary.

They claimed that it was an unauthorized use of CCTV shots – and that it had violated a pledge not to use it outside the court’s procedures. .

Last week, her former lawyers – led by Yuko Nishheiro – held another press conference, saying that their use of footage represents challenges in other sexual assault cases.

“If the fact that the evidence from the trial is known, we will not be able to obtain cooperation in future cases,” said Ms. Nishheiro.

Mrs. Nishheiro also claimed that Shyuri also used unauthorized records, saying that she only found this at a movie screening last July.

This voice included the police investigations, which eventually acted as the amounts of those whose investigating the investigation process – in addition to a video of the taxi driver who presented a certificate about the alleged rape night. Lawyers argued, as the lawyers argued, and did not give their approval to appear in the movie.

“I was trying hard to protect her for eight and a half years, and I feel that I am totally torn,” said Ms. Nishheiro.

“I want her to explain and take responsibility.”

Shyuri had confessed earlier that she had not obtained permission from the hotel to use CCTV, but she argued that this was the “only visual guide” that he had on the night that she was sexually assaulted.

She added that it was necessary that the police investigator’s voice was necessary because of “covering up the investigation”, adding that she was launching the video “for the common good.”

She said about her repercussions with her former lawyers: “We are standing at different views.”

“for me, [it’s for the] The common good. For them, it “does not cut any rules.”

There was no official explanation about the reason why the movie was not distributed yet. “Japan is still not ready to talk about it [it]”But it is not clear how much legal obstacles.

In its last statement last week, Shyuri apologized and said that she would re -edit parts of the documentary to ensure that individuals are not recognized, adding that an engraved version will move forward.

“There are moments I wish I hadn’t had to put it [the documentary]. “There are moments that I am not proud of, but I wanted to put all this and show that we are a human being,” BBC told BBC. No one is perfect. “

In the nine years that had passed since the attack, the Battle of Syuri was against the Issue System in Japan was well classified in the media – something she says she wanted to detail her in her documentary.

It was met with a wave of the reverse reaction when it was announced in 2017, and got a hate mail and abuse online.

“People were telling me that you were not crying enough … You don’t wear suitable clothes … You are very strong.”

Some criticized the way she was wearing at the press conference as Yamagucci was accused for the first time – they said that her shirt had decreased down. Shyuri said she had left Japan for a few months, for fear of her safety.

The Shyuri case was followed by other prominent cases. In 2023, former soldier Rina Junoy publicly became with her story, accusing three former soldiers for sexually assaulting her. This was the year in which Japan approved historical laws to redefine rape from “forced sexual intercourse” to “non -consensual sexual intercourse” and raised the age of approval from 13 to 16.

Gunoy eventually won her case, but Shyuri says he is evidence that speaking against sexual violence comes at a price, adding: “Is it worth it through this survivor who seeks justice?

Currently, it is not clear whether her movie will be shown in Japan, but she says that his home will be her final prize.

She added: “This is my love message to Japan. I really hope that I can show my film, and my family can watch it as well.”

“This is what I really hope … more than winning an Academy Award.”