Thousands back Japanese ex-soldier demanding sexual assault probe

Rina Gonoi, 22, alleges that she was assaulted by multiple male colleagues while on a training exercise in 2021. - RINA GONOI/TWITTER

TOKYO (AFP): A female former Japanese soldier on Wednesday (Aug 31) submitted a petition to the defence ministry that was signed by more than 100,000 people demanding an independent probe into her alleged sexual assault by colleagues.

The case is a rare example of a public allegation of sexual assault in a country where government data shows just four per cent of rape victims report the crime to police.