Main content
This programme is not currently available on BBC iPlayer

Japan's Secret Shame

The story of Shiori Ito, the woman who shocked Japan with a public allegation of rape in a country where sex crimes are rarely discussed.

This film tells the moving story of 29-year-old Japanese journalist Shiori Ito, who in May 2017 shocked Japan when she went public with allegations that she was raped by a well-known TV journalist.

Through Shiori's testimony, the film outlines her allegations against Noriyuki Yamaguchi, on the night the two met for a business dinner in Tokyo. Mr Yamaguchi, the biographer of Japan's prime minister, strenuously denies her claims. It recounts what led Shiori to take the unprecedented decision to go public with her allegations in a country where speaking about sex crimes remains strictly taboo. Following Shiori over the next year, the film tells the story of how criminal charges against Mr Yamaguchi were never brought, and her decision to pursue a civil case against him - a case which he is defending. It also portrays the consequences Shiori faced by speaking out in Japanese society. While the #MeToo movement saw women coming forward in solidarity across the globe, in Japan, Shiori was met with hate mail and public humiliation.

Interweaving in the wider social issues of gender and traditional attitudes in Japan, the film follows Shiori on her personal journey, as she visits the institutions she believes failed her, meets with other women who are too frightened to even report assaults, and fights to affect change in Japan.

1 hour

Last on

Mon 19 Aug 2019 23:15
BBC Two

Clips

See all clips from Japan's Secret Shame (3)

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:29

    Ramin Djawadi

    This World

  • 00:32

    The Cinematic Orchestra

    Dawn

  • 00:36

    Agnes Obel

    Chord Left

  • 00:42

    The Cinematic Orchestra/London Metropolitan Orches, The Cinematic Orchestra

    Arrival of The Birds

  • 00:45

    Mogwai

    I Know You Are But What Am I?

  • 00:48

    Explosions in the Sky

    Six Days At The Bottom of The Ocean

  • 00:52

    Moderat

    Damage Done

  • 00:54

    The Album Leaf

    The Light

Credits

Director Erica Jenkin
Executive Producer Brian Woods
Editor Ella Newton
Production Company True Vision

Broadcasts

  • Thu 28 Jun 2018 21:00
    BBC Two
  • Mon 2 Jul 2018 23:15
    BBC Two except Northern Ireland
  • Thu 26 Jul 2018 00:15
    BBC Two
  • Mon 19 Aug 2019 23:15
    BBC Two except Scotland

Shiori Ito's story

Shiori Ito's story

Shiori tells of her struggles for justice