A woman who attended a prefectural high school in Hyogo Prefecture has sued a former teacher who served as her judo club adviser, seeking about ¥37 million in damages for sexual violence and assault she says continued for more than 10 years from her high school years. She filed the suit with the Kobe District Court on October 19.
The woman says the abuse began when she was a first-year student and that she could not escape the man's control even after graduating. She has developed post-traumatic stress disorder and is still receiving treatment, according to her account.
She reported a 2022 sexual assault to Hyogo Prefectural Police, but the Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office decided not to indict, citing insufficient evidence. On September 30, her side asked the Kobe First Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution to review the case, arguing the investigation was inadequate.
The man denies the sexual abuse and violence, the Kobe Shimbun reported.
Abuse began in first year, lawyer says
The woman and her lawyer held a news conference in Kobe on October 22 and described the background to the suit. She belonged to the judo club, which the teacher advised, from her first year of high school, according to her side.
The teacher was then in his 40s and married. He was well regarded as a dedicated coach, and the woman's parents trusted him deeply, her side said.
Indecent acts such as kissing began around the time she entered the school, and intercourse followed in the first term, according to her account. She says he told her it was to help her forget a previous boyfriend and led her to believe the acts were necessary for her, making it hard for her to resist.
The teacher routinely used violence and abusive language toward club members, and she saw it happen, she says. She herself began to be beaten in the autumn of her first year, and the violence escalated, including being punched and dragged around by her hair, according to her account.
She described herself at the time as being like a robot.
“It was a strong judo club, so everyone, including me, put on a smile. He was very good with words, so I thought I was the one at fault. I was made to believe I had come here to be reborn, so I should throw away who I was.”the woman, former student
According to the woman, sexual intercourse and indecent acts were repeated during her school years in cars, at love hotels, at hotels on team trips and even inside the school.
“I was called into the instructor's room in the dojo with 'come here,' and he put his hand inside me, or made me touch him and said 'relax me.' I was called during morning practice, or whenever he wanted satisfaction, and made to do it.”the woman, former student
There were also times when he spoke kindly to her after using violence, she says.