Womanhood in Japan (August 2023)

“Womanhood in Japan” series column rounds up Japanese news related to women’s daily experiences of sexism here and considers what we can do to increase the pace of change.

Women’s soccer team impresses the world, but not Japan

The Japanese women’s soccer team impressed everyone at the Women’s World Cup this month and was considered a strong contender to take home the trophy before being defeated by Sweden in the quarterfinals. (Spain took the overall title, but only after having been beaten 4-0 by Japan in the Group C final.) Japanese player Hinata Miyazawa won the Golden Boot award for scoring five goals throughout the tournament, and the team won the fair play award. But nothing short of a win would satisfy the team, which was playing not for a trophy, but for the greater good of women’s soccer in Japan.

An article in The Washington Post explains that since the team won the tournament—and its nation’s attention—in 2011, Japan’s interest in women’s soccer has stagnated. Winning was the only way to wrestle it back. And the significance of that attention is that, as a board member of the Japanese women’s soccer league, Miyuki Kobayashi, is quoted in an article on Inside FIFA, “Women’s football can help change Japanese society,” in terms of gender equality.

The current state of women’s soccer here, as described by web Sportiva, is that women’s teams “are expressing gratitude for being permitted to use the men’s teams’ facilities.” That compares with other countries where women’s soccer clubs have their own facilities that are equivalent to the men’s.

It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem, where greater support of women’s soccer creates greater outcomes, but the reverse is also true. But since the Japanese women’s soccer team has already been the best in the world, obviously something more is needed. Now may be a good time for Japan’s less-successful national soccer team to combine forces and share resources with women’s soccer for the good of the game in Japan.

Meanwhile, go watch a women’s soccer match.

Two sexual assault cases in the headlines

Two separate cases of sexual assault against two women in Japan are currently in the news. The first is a court case in which former Ground Self-Defense Force (Japan’s defense-only “army”) servicewoman Rina Gonoi alleges three male colleagues sexually assaulted her in 2021. The second is allegations made by South Korean artist DJ Soda of groping of her at an event in Osaka on August 13.

Gonoi’s case sparked an investigation into harassment in Japan’s self-defense forces and the Defense Ministry, the results of which were released this month. It found widespread coverups and reluctance to deal with complaints. About 80% of reported cases involved abuse of power, while sexual harassment accounted for about 12%, Japanese media reported.

More than 60% of the victims in the 1,325 reported cases never sought help from counselors in the military or ministry due to a lack of trust in the system or a fear of retribution. About 400 people who did seek help said they did not receive appropriate assistance and instead faced coverups, pressure to drop their complaints, broken confidentiality and other lack of understanding.

A former superior of Gonoi’s recently told a district court that he had earlier lied by saying he had not witnessed the alleged assault of Gonoi by the three male GSDF members. The Asahi Shimbun reported that the superior “decided to tell the truth after Gonoi came forward to report the assault using her real name and waiving anonymity,” which is rarely done in sexual assault cases here.

After the SDF rejected her claims and Japanese television stations also lacked interest in them, Gonoi took her story to social media, with the aim of receiving an apology and preventing others from going through what she has been through.

All harassment is an issue of power. In Gonoi’s case, it is manifestation of hers; her righteousness, her patience, her determination, her strength. This power, that cannot be taken from her, convinced her superior officer to tell the truth. Her power changed the game.

DJ Soda

Now let’s look at the DJ Soda case.

Two 20-year-old men have voluntarily reported to police in relation to the allegations of groping. Kyodo News reported that the men apologized “for the incident while adding they were drunk when it happened and did it ‘lightheartedly.’” A woman suspected of the same charge has been identified, reports say.

The incident occurred when DJ Soda, as she says she usually does at concerts, descended the stage to interact with fans, while keeping behind a rope barrier that separated performers from the audience. But fans’ outstretched hands were able to reach her, which may have been the key fault in the set-up.

DJ Soda is being criticized from every angle; for her skimpy outfits, for seeking publicity, for being anti-Japan, and for not taking precautions to prevent the incident. She says she has done such fan greets in various countries but that this was the first time that she had been touched inappropriately while doing it. So, what’s going on, Japan?

Well, Japanese society is highly structured and is one in which traditionally it is somewhat accepted that the upper levels, our elders and “betters,” may coerce those below them in the hierarchy. The investigation into harassment in the defense forces may be an extreme example, but it shows that Japanese do not expect morally correct behavior to be enforced. That’s probably why any upset in social harmony is considered to be the fault of both sides of a conflict, although the perpetrator’s status may protect them from criticism. And in a society in which for a long time women have been held back and therefore hampered from attaining power, they are more likely to be the victim.

Harassment is an issue of power. The perpetrator thinks they can get away with it, perhaps because they are such a big name in the business that no-one would dare question them; perhaps because if the guys all stick together they can treat assault as a laughing matter; perhaps because the victim is “only” a woman and the perpetrator has seen the many, many approaches they can use to try to discredit a woman.

Gonoi’s power is her righteousness. DJ Soda’s is her career success. Also, being outside Japanese society, she is able to call out her fans in a manner that is still unthinkable for Japanese artists, who would be expected to take responsibility for causing an incident. For both Gonoi and DJ Soda, their wish that their speaking out will prevent other people from going through what they have experienced is also part of their power.

What is your power? And how do you use it to make the world a better place?