Four of the five Japanese ex-soldiers accused of sexually abusing a colleague denied the allegations despite a previous apology to the victim
The about-face took place during the first hearing in a civil lawsuit filed by former soldier Rina Gonoi, whose testimony has sparked a rare public reckoning over sexual assault in Japan.She is seeking 5.5 million yen from her attackers for mental distress, and two million yen from the government for failing to prevent the assaults or properly investigate them.
At Wednesday's hearing, four of the five ex-servicemen said"there was no sexual violence" and that they were performing judo moves, Japanese media including broadcasters TBS and TV Asahi reported.In October, four of the five men had offered a private apology to Ms Gonoi, although it was unclear if these were the same four who later denied the allegations.
"Words cannot describe the sadness, frustration and anger I felt," she added of her reaction to the denials. The defence ministry's own internal probe in September confirmed several instances of assault against her.
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