On November 13, 2020, two women, one a former employee and the other a board member of a social welfare corporation that operates facilities for the disabled, filed a lawsuit against the former board member in the Tokyo District Court seeking compensation for damages. I acted as their representative. The former board member allegedly indecently harassed the female victims by taking off their clothes and touching their genitals in a hotel room, and routinely touched their buttocks in a cab when they were alone with him. Internal staff members heard many sexually harassing comments on a daily basis as well.
The ex-director is a well-known figure in the field of social welfare, and he has repeatedly sexually harassed them without any reservation at all, using the space between them or alone with them. The women victims had to put up with this for a long time because they did not want to lose their relationship with their bosses or their jobs as artists for the disabled.
Social welfare corporations are also subsidized by the government and are a highly public sector. It is unacceptable that the directors of the corporation, who deal with the elderly and disabled, who are in a vulnerable position, would engage in such sexual harassment. The fact that there are many female employees but a high percentage of male executives is also a breeding ground for sexual harassment. This kind of sexual harassment will not disappear unless this structure is also changed. (The photo shows a press conference held on November 16, 2020. (On the left is the moderator, Ms. Mari Hikita of a sexual harassment NGO.
