5 Japanese soldiers expelled for sexually harassing colleague

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Japan on Thursday expelled five male members of the Ground Self-Defense Force for sexual harassment of their 23-year-old former colleague, who made her ordeal public after leaving the force in June this year.

The country’s Defense Ministry also suspended the commander of the unit where the woman soldier Rina Gonoi served.

Gonoi was posted at Camp Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture before resigning.

The commander was suspended for six months for failing to take "adequate action" after Gonoi's complaint about the harassment.

The issue first propped up in the fall of 2020 and persisted until August of last year.

Another official of the rank of second lieutenant was “given a reprimand for making sexually explicit comments, while another two higher-ranking officers were given warnings for violating their duties of command and supervision,” Kyodo News reported.

Gonoi was subjected to sexual harassment on a daily basis, “including two incidents of sexual assault during training in June and August last year.”

After quitting her job, Gonoi went public with her story, alleging sexual harassment.​​​​​​​