Female Prosecutor Sues State over Sexual Assault by Boss

Osaka, Feb. 17 (Jiji Press)–A female Japanese prosecutor has sued the state for damages related to a high-profile sexual assault case involving a former head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office. The lawsuit, filed with Osaka District Court, demands a total of about 83 million yen from the state, the former head of the office, and other senior prosecutors at the time. At a press conference on Tuesday, the plaintiff said that her life “has been chipped away by the prosecution organization’s terrible response over the past two years since reporting the assault.” “I hope that the court will clarify what is wrong with the prosecution organization, and that effective measures to prevent a recurrence will be implemented,” she said. In the sexual assault case, Kentaro Kitagawa, 66, has been charged with sexually assaulting the plaintiff at his home in the western city of Osaka in September 2018. Kitagawa admitted to the allegation during the first court hearing of his trial in October 2024, but he later pleaded not guilty, claiming that he thought he had the victim’s consent. In the damages lawsuit, the plaintiff is pursuing Kitagawa’s civil liability for the case, while claiming that the then deputy head of the Osaka prosecutor office obstructed the investigation and made defamatory statements, and that the other defendants spread the defamation and attempted to silence her. Meanwhile, she claims that the state violated its duty of care related to the work environment and her rights as a victim to participate in criminal proceedings. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]