Conducted harassment investigation

At a press conference after the cabinet meeting on the 5th, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi announced that he plans to conduct a ``harassment investigation'' targeting all employees of the public prosecutor's office within this fiscal year in an effort to improve the workplace environment regarding the case in which Kentaro Kitagawa, the top prosecutor at the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, was charged with quasi-forced sexual intercourse.

A female prosecutor who complained of harassment submitted a request in March of this year asking for a third-party committee to be established to investigate whether there is any other harassment within the organization.

Regarding the establishment of a third-party committee, Justice Minister Hiraguchi said, ``The decision needs to be made extremely carefully because a related criminal case is currently on trial, which could cause problems in terms of judicial independence, and there is a risk of infringing on the honor and privacy of those involved.''

The company also revealed that it plans to conduct a harassment investigation, stating that last year, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office issued instructions to thoroughly implement measures to prevent harassment in order to improve the workplace environment. ``We have received reports that we are considering ways to incorporate an objective perspective,'' he added.

The female prosecutor had expressed her intention to ``resign at the end of April'' if the investigation by the third-party committee did not materialize, but she submitted her resignation at the end of April after the prosecutor's office responded that she would ``refrain from responding.'' The process is currently underway within the district attorney's office, and a retirement date has not been determined.

When asked by a reporter whether they could not have responded sooner, Justice Minister Hiraguchi explained the state of the prosecutor's office's response, saying, ``Based on the purpose of the written request (submitted by the female prosecutor), we are considering further concrete measures to improve the workplace environment.'' ``We have taken all possible measures given the situation in which a female prosecutor filed a lawsuit demanding compensation from the state,'' the statement said.

Female prosecutor comments: ``It's completely meaningless''

In response to Justice Minister Hiraguchi's remarks, a female prosecutor made a comment, saying, ``It is completely meaningless for the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office to conduct a harassment investigation. Moreover, the fact that it was conducted after I submitted my resignation, rather than conducting it before, is in itself terrible. I request that a third-party committee be established to carry out a fair and impartial investigation, verification, and prevention of recurrence.''

Kitagawa was indicted in 2018 on charges that he took advantage of his influential position as chief public prosecutor to sexually assault a subordinate female prosecutor who was too drunk to resist in his official residence.

The female prosecutor then told Kitagawa that she would clarify the damage caused. He received a handwritten letter from the defendant that read, ``I beg you to stop it at the cost of my life,'' but he did not disclose the incident at the time.

However, at the end of 2023, he was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and took a leave of absence in March 2024. After reporting the damage, an investigation by the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office began.

Kitagawa was arrested in June 2024 and denied the charges, saying, ``I thought there was consent.'' At his first trial, he pleaded guilty, saying, ``I will not contest.'' However, two months later, at a press conference with his defense attorney, he announced that he would be pleading not guilty.