[ThirdTerm]

Shiori Ito sought compensation after making a rape accusation against a former TV reporter with close links to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Investigations were opened but dropped by police due to the political pressure from the government. Although they initially said they would arrest Yamaguchi, the case and charges were unexpectedly dropped. She became a symbol of Japan's #MeToo movement. She called for the Japanese parliament to update Japan's laws regarding rape, which were over a century old. The alleged rapist was a Washington bureau chief for the country's top 5 broadcasting corporation and having sex with female college graduates in exchange for job opportunities may be part of the recruiting process in the media as well, which is why he insisted that there was a mutual consent. Japan's corrupt corporate culture is put on trial.

A Japanese court has ordered a high-profile TV reporter to pay 3.3 million yen ($30,000; £22,917) in damages to a journalist who accused him of rape.

Shiori Ito alleged that Noriyuki Yamaguchi raped her in 2015 while she was unconscious.

Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence for a criminal case, so Ms Ito brought a civil case.

Ms Ito has become a symbol of the #MeToo movement in a country where people rarely report sexual assault.

"I'm so happy," said 30-year-old Ms Ito, who held up a sign which read "victory" after the verdict was announced.

But in a news conference hours later, Mr Yamaguchi said he planned to appeal - and he again denied the rape allegations.



According to Ms Ito, 53-year-old Mr Yamaguchi - who is said to have close ties to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - invited her to dinner to discuss a possible job opportunity in 2015.

She suspects she may have been drugged, saying that when she regained consciousness, she was "in a hotel room and he was on top of me".

Ms Ito was an intern at news agency Reuters when the alleged rape occurred.

Mr Yamaguchi was then Washington bureau chief for the Tokyo Broadcasting System, a major media firm in Japan.

Investigations were opened but then dropped by police, citing insufficient evidence.

Ms Ito said police forced her to re-enact the alleged rape with a life-sized doll while male officers looked on.

A 2017 government survey found that only 4% of rape victims reported the crime to the police.