Her parents told her to keep quiet. Her sister begged her not to mention it. The police warned her that her career would be over if she pursued her complaint.
In Japan, when you don’t want someone to know something, when you want to keep something secret, you put it in a hypothetical black box that never opens. But in Shiori Ito’s landmark (for Japan) case, the box is opened and everything that desperately begged to be kept secret is out.
A couple of months before the break-out of the MeToo# Movement (October 2017), Ito published her account of sexual violence perpetrated by a well-respected journalist, friend, and official biographer of Prime Minister Abe, Noriyuki Yamaguchi. She titled it, “Black Box.”
Ito also announced her attack at a press conference and pursued legal restitution in a court battle for criminal assault and then pursued a civil case for monetary damages.
But the big news is that in quiet, patriarchal Japan where few women ever report abuse, a 20-something young woman stood up for justice in a rape case.
Ito was an aspiring photojournalist. She had gone to school as an exchange student in Kansas and speaks teenage American English (“Uh, yeah…”). After college, while an intern for Reuters, she applied for a position working in Washington DC. Her interview was with Noriyuki Yamaguchi, the Washington Bureau Chief for the Tokyo Broadcasting System at the time.
Strangely, her interview was arranged to be held at a dinner at a nice restaurant. Soon into the evening, she can’t remember anything. She believes she was drugged, but she has no material evidence. However, she does have hotel footage of her stumbling and being dragged into a hotel lobby. Her cab driver, who remembers the situation, has given a deposition.
“Black Box Diaries” follows Ito from the time she announces the rape at a press conference through her criminal court case, through her suicide attempt, and through her 2022 civil case. The camera is always there because she holds it when her crew does not.
Shiori Ito, now 35 years old, is a journalist, writer and filmmaker. Born in Japan in 1989, she was 26 years old at the time of her meeting with Yamaguchi. She has since co-founded Hanashi Films, a Tokyo and London-based production company that has collaborated with NHK, BBC, and Al Jazeera, amongst others. Her primary focus is on gender-based human rights issues.
Ground-breaking film work, “Black Box Diaries” is personal with full access to Shiori and the emotional repercussions of her abuse. The film is banned in Japan. However, it has made the Oscar Short List of 15 films nominated for Best Documentary, which is sweet revenge. I worry about Ito’s safety, but I’m grateful for her bravery.
Credits
Director: Shiori Ito
Producers: Chiori Ito, Hanna Aqvilin and Eric Nyari
Cinematography: Yuta Okamura
Editor: Ema Ryan Yamazaki
Music: Mark Degli Antoni
Release Date: Oct. 25, 2024
Official Website and how to view: https://releasing.dogwoof.com/black-box-diaries
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