JAPAN’S SECRET SHAME
“An incredibly important film, brave and necessary, handled with care and quiet fury”
“The woman standing up to Japan’s sexual shame. In a country where sex is kept firmly in the shadows, Shiori Ito has been a lone voice saying #MeToo.”
RTS nominee for best international current affairs documentary 2019
Produced and directed by Erica Jenkin
MY ROLE: DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The film follows the moving story of 29 year-old Shiori Ito, who went public with an accusation of rape by a powerful man.
Ito says that she was raped by well-known TV journalist and close friend of Japan’s prime minister, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, after the two met for a work dinner in 2015. Yamaguchi has always denied the claims and the criminal case was dropped after a year-long investigation.
In May 2017, Ito took the unprecedented step of going public with her allegations and mounted a civil case against Yamaguchi. This would have been a courageous step to take anywhere, but more so in Japan, where sexual crimes are rarely discussed, and Ito was met with public vilification.
With unique access, the documentary follows Ito in her search for justice and explores a culture in which talking about sexual violence is seen as taboo.
Ito visits the institutions she believes failed her and meets other women who are too afraid to speak out.
Her brave fight in the wake of the global #MeToo movement makes her a figurehead for change in Japan.
A scene I filmed in which Shiori talks to students about how hard it is to discuss sexual misconduct