Open Her Black Box -The truth of Shiori Ito

Open Her Black Box -The truth of Shiori Ito-

Shiori Ito, an alleged rape victim and Japanese #MeToo movement activist. Let's find the truth by examining her words and deeds.

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2019 Oct - Present]

Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura from October 2019 to the present in chronological order. The sources are colored as followed:
Media coverage➡ 
Posts on social media➡ 
My comments will be indicated by 💡, actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵, and actions of Mr. Okamura by 💛.

October

Oct 07: 🔵🔴Both Mr. Yamaguchi and Ms. Ito stated their opinions in oral arguments and conclude the trial【Tokyo】

🔴Attended the trial report meeting held in the House of Councilors after the conclusion of the civil litigation

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💡Ms. Shiori Ito's 내로남불

Why doesn't anyone point out the fact that the venue was the Diet Members' office building? Isn't it weird for Ms. Ito, who is just a private person, to hold a report meeting of the civil trial conclusion at the "Diet Members' office building" which is a government office?

Ms. Ito and her defenders have been repeatedly criticized over the assumption that Prime Minister Abe provided some convenience to Mr. Yamaguchi. This means that one of the members of parliament clearly provided her some convenience. Why don't they say anything about it?

This is typical “내로남불” in Korean. “내로남불(Naero Nambul)” is a buzz phrase in Korea, and the direct translation is "When I do it, it's romance; when others do it, it's an affair." So it is a satirical phrase used to point out double standards or hypocrites. I would like to give this phrase "Naero Nambul " to Ms. Ito and her defenders.

 

Oct 08: 💛Mr. Okamura retweeted Ms. Isoko Mochizuki's article on Ms. Ito's final argument at the civil trial

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👆The final argument of the trial in which Ms. Shiori Ito sued former journalist, Mr. Noriyuki Yamaguchi, for alleged sexual assault. Ms. Shiori said, "I was violated against my will as if I suddenly became a puppet. The experience of not remembering until I woke up in pain afflicts me for these four years. I still have panic attacks and I suffer from sleep disorders."

 

Oct 09: 🔴Retweeted regarding the Aichi Triennale

Oct 10: 💛Retweeted a Huffpost article about Ms. Ito tweeted by OpenTheBlackbox account

Oct 11: 🔴Announced the conclusion of the civil trial on Twitter and Facebook

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🔴On the same day, Ms. Ito shared a link of a BuzzFeed article that covers the FGM in Sierra Leone, and also announced both "Complete Woman" and "Yuparo: My Beautiful Dying City" were selected for the documentary event "Tokyo Docs" on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Oct 12: 🔴Announced on Twitter and Facebook the start of her own column on Web Iwanami

Oct 17: 🔴Announced the release of a short documentary "I Killed My Flowers" on Twitter and Facebook

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👆"Why did I have to kill my beloved mother and sister?" While fighting against PTSD, he talks about the past that he couldn't tell anyone in order not to let the same thing happen again. May Mr. Murakami's voice reach more people.

💡This is a work that was published in the "Yahoo! Creators Program." Of course, Mr. Okamura participates as an editor and producer. But also people from the Yahoo! Creators Program side participated in it too, such as "Mariko Ide" as the editor and "Yusaku Kanagawa" as the executive producer.

 

Oct 27: 🔴Attended an event to let people know the ordinance to eradicate sexual violence in Fukuoka prefectureに 【Fukuoka】

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November

Nov 03: 🔴Shared the link of the second column on Web Iwanami on Twitter and Facebook 

Nov 10-11: 🔴"Complete Woman" won the Yahoo Award, and Yubari documentary won the Best Pitch Award at Tokyo Docs【Tokyo】

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👆With Tokyo Docs Chairperson, Mr. Yukihiko Amagi

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👆With Mariko Ide and Yusaku Kanagawa from Yahoo! Creators Program, who co-produced a short documentary "I Killed My Flowers" with Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura as mentioned above.

I'm not sure if Mr. Okamura didn't attend or he did but wasn't allowed to be in the pictures with Ms. Ito. Since 2018, Mr. Okamura has been deeply involved in all the video productions of Ms. Ito (at least many people believe it's her works), such as the short video of Farc in Colombia, Complete Woman, I Killed My Flowers, Yuparo: My Beautiful Dying City. Nonetheless, there is no official photo of Mr. Okamura standing next to Ms. Ito. None.

💡Tokyo Docs and Yahoo! Creators Program

Tokyo Docs is an international forum that has been held every year since 2011 to support the international co-production of documentary works. From 2018, Yahoo! Creators Program is in a tie-up with Tokyo Docs "Short Documentary Showcase & Pitch" category. In the article below, Mr. Yusaku Kanagawa, who appears in the photo above along with Ms. Ito, is interviewed as the content producer for the Media Management Division at Yahoo! Japan Corporation.

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👆content producer for the Media Management Division at Yahoo! Japan, Yusuke Kanagawa 

That is, Yahoo! Creators Program is involved in the selection of both the "Best Pitch Award" that Ms. Ito won after presented the Yubari documentary and the "Yahoo Award" that Ms. Ito also won with "Complete Woman".


Even for Yahoo! Creators Program side, it's killing two birds with one stone. Once they publish Ms. Ito's documentary, the number of views exceeds 100,000 on the first day, and the media such as Huffpost or BuzzFeed write articles about it too. I don't think there is no other documentary filmmaker (in Japan at least) who has more than 18,000 followers on Twitter, and if Ito wins any award, the media advertises it for free.

 

By the way, "Yahoo! JAPAN Creators Program Thanksgiving Day" was held on Dec 18, the same day as the judicial decision day. And of course, Ms. Ito won the "Best documentary of the year" award, which was newly established in 2019.

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Of course, this also became an article on HuffPost, and Yusaku Kanagawa of Yahoo! Creators Program, mentioned above, shared the article on his Facebook page.

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Nov 10: 🔴Participated in a talk show event with Ms. Yumi Ishikawa, a pin-up girl and #KuToo activist 【Tokyo】

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December

Dec 05: 💛Mr. Okamura was recruiting performers for production of a promotion video for an American IT company 【Tokyo】
💡Besides supporting Ms. Ito, he seems to have been doing some small works in Japan.

Dec 14: 🔴Posted a photo on Facebook from Henoko after one year of sediment loading【Okinawa】

Dec 17: 🔴Informed about the judicial decision the next day and shared the BuzzFeed article reporting about it on Facebook【Tokyo】

Dec 18: 🔴Announced that she won the civil case on Facebook【Tokyo】

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The contradictions after winning the civil case

I'm sure you've already seen the many reports on the winning judicial decision on Dec 18, 2019, so I won't go deep into it. Here, I would like to point out some of the contradictions and questions that I felt in the news and interviews around that time. (there are too many small questions, so only big ones here...)

① The motivation for this civil trial

Ms. Ito said at a press conference after the 18th ruling, "If (Mr. Yamaguchi) had been arrested, we didn't have to do this trial. Why didn't he get arrest? If we don't figure it out, the same thing will happen with a word from the top."

Arrest warrants are issued when there is a risk of escape or destruction of evidence. Mr. Yamaguchi did not escape. So that means Ms. Ito believes that Mr. Yamaguchi was not criminally prosecuted because he destroyed the evidence while he was not arrested? Would a person who would try to destroy evidence make statements that admittedly had sexual activity in replies to the victim's email?

Or she wants to say that the real purpose of the civil trial was not to demand damages from Mr. Yamaguchi, but to publicize about the suspended arrest warrant against Mr. Yamaguchi and to ask why it wasn't executed publicly? In that case, the opponent should not be Mr. Yamaguchi, but the Metropolitan Police Department.

 

② Attended Mr. Yamaguchi's press conference despite the severe PTSD of sexual violence that made her attempt suicide

I wrote about this in my previous post. In the report meeting the day before, she confessed that she felt lonely at the end of June and attempted suicide. So why didn't people around her stop her from joining the press conference of Mr. Yamaguchi as a journalist? I really struggle to understand.

Moreover, she has to listen to the assailant who raped her (alleged by Ms. Ito) saying how her claim is wrong in front of her for more than an hour. It must be so stressful that my stomach hurts just by watching the video below, although it's just a short part of it.

In fact, Ms. Ito has continued to carry out such actions from soon after the incident. Rather, it is no exaggeration to say that all the actions have been taken by Ms. Ito even from before the incident. She sent emails to ask for the intern job, she wanted to meet in Tokyo. She was the first to send the "Thank you for your great job" email after the incident, and she relentlessly sought his "sincere response" by calling him and emailing him. Although, in her book, she says, "I can't stand even being connected by email."

While saying, "I have PTSD" or "I feel nauseous only seeing a person with a similar appearance," she is voluntarily approaching Mr. Yamaguchi. Action speaks louder than words. If you want to know what she really wants, you should look at what she does.

 

③ If you read "Black Box", you'll see that she is not lying?

After participating in Mr. Yamaguchi's press conference, Ms. Ito made the following remarks in an interview with news media.

Regarding the matter that she was told to be a liar at his press conference, "I've been called a liar many times, but I have refuted in my book 'Black Box'. I think you will understand that I'm not a liar if you read it."

It is clear that this statement is also a "lie". Why didn't anyone point that out on the spot? In the press conference, Mr. Yamaguchi pointed out the contradictions that the things Ms. Ito wrote in "Black Box" differ from the facts. So how can she refute that with "Black Box"? 

Certainly, if you only read "Black Box", you might think "Ms. Ito is not a liar." However, as everyone who has read my blog up to this point understands, it's easy to see that Ms. Ito "is a liar" by comparing the facts with her book. Editing and omitting of emails, replacement of time series, concealment of academic background and work history...the book is literally a "Black Box".

 

④ She wants to "talk" with people who criticize her, or wants to "shut them up"?

Mr. Ito said at the press conference on Dec 19, the day after the judgment, "After I put an end to this civil case no matter what the result might be, I'm thinking to take legal measures (for second rape) as my next step." According to Kotobank, a Japanese Online encyclopedia, "second rape" means as below:

It's when the victims of sexual violence or sex crimes get exposed to misunderstandings and curiosity, and suffer secondary mental and social disadvantages by disclosing their damages, or when they're blamed that it was partially the victims' fault by gynecologists who examine the damages or by police officers who interrogate the circumstances.

At the press conference, I think she meant primarily "online/offline bashing for victims of sexual assault."

However, about a month before this press conference, on Nov 10, she attended a talk event with Ms. Yumi Ishikawa of #KuToo movement. There she talked about a man who had asked her if her allegation was true or false at one of her lectures, and said,

Even if I tell the truth in me with the effort, it's natural there are people who criticize. I think it can't be helped in a sense. However, I'd like to know what is behind the thoughts, not only denying each other. If we do it, we can avoid criticizing each other even if we don't agree. I think what we need for that purpose is dialogue.

But just one month later, she says, "I will take legal action against the second rape." What does she mean? The criticism of "Ms. Ito's claim may be false" doesn't fall within a second rape? Or is she saying that she changed her mind only after one month?

If it is the former, then what is the difference between the "criticism that Mr. Ito's claim is false" and "a second rape bashing"? She mentioned "Monthly Hanada", a tweet by Ms. Mio Sugita, and the illustrations by Ms. Toshiko Hasumi as "second rape", but aren't these all "criticisms that Ms. Ito's claim is false"? If those are the "second rapes that should be taken legal action", then what did she mean by criticisms that "can't be helped in a sense" and "need dialogue"?

If it's the latter, I don't trust people who say things in front of the camera that are completely inconsistent with what they said a month before. If her statement changes in this way, no matter where or what Ms. Ito says in the future, I can not refer to it at all.

 

Ms. Ito's professional and private partner(s) hidden in her shadow

Let's take a look at the list of documentaries and short films that Ms. Ito has been involved in producing so far and their credits.

 

As you can see, the films Ms. Ito has produced so far, from documentaries to short videos, were made with "the lover she was dating at the time". It seemed like there were some upsets at the time of separation with Mr. Ahlmark, but the relationship after that seems to be good, and now he's working on the "Witness series" of Al Jazeera with Hanna Aqvilin of Hanashi Films.

Journalists who work together often become partners in their private lives too, and there is nothing wrong with it. Life will be wonderful if the artists or filmmakers become partners both professionally and privately, and inspire each other to create works.

However, what is strange about the relationship between Ms. Ito and Mr. Ahlmark, and between Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura, is that their names or photographs are not cast light at all in the media, even though they should work very closely as a producer and a director, or as a director and an editor.

 

When she filmed the documentary "Lonely Death" with Mr. Ahlmark, it was probably the first for her to be deeply involved in documentary production. The support from others must have been indispensable. However, she left the editing to Mr. Ahlmark and Mr. Yusuke Hayamizu, and flew to Europe with Mr. Sato for the WALKCAR advertisement. Mr. Yusuke Hayamizu is also a movie director with a long career.

Ms. Ito has never mentioned in magazine interviews, etc., such support from the surroundings, especially the support of her partner at that time, Mr. Ahlmark. She was a 27-year-old dropout from a college of photography in New York, with a career only as an intern and a freelancer making three-minute videos at Reuter's TV communications department. Then she suddenly directed a one-hour documentary for the first time, won 2 silver awards at New York Festivals? Give me a break!

The chief editor of GQ magazine, Masafumi Suzuki, wrote as followed regarding Ms. Ito won the Silver Award in two categories at the New York Festivals.

This is how she has already established her unique position as a freelance journalist and a documentary maker. Even though she was beaten up by the unreasonable difficulty that attacked her and swayed her, she wasn't completely beaten up nor swayed up. She didn't lower the flag of her ambition to live as a journalist, and she raised it even higher. So first of all, I would like to express my joy that she and her talent were blessed in Las Vegas.

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👆The editor-in-chief of "GQ japan", Mr. Masafumi Suzuki,

When you compare these sentences with reality, it sounds a little ironic. Certainly, Ms. Ito may have established her unique position as a documentary maker. She raised her ambition high to become a journalist no matter what happens, and such talent of her was blessed in Las Vegas...

 

Ms. Ito's "talent" seems to have been fully exerted even after she met Mr. Okamura. She doesn't talk about Mr. Ahlmark's support in the interview article etc., but maybe it's understandable considering that the two were already separated when Ms. Ito became famous by the press conference in 2017.

However, Mr. Okamura is her current partner. Moreover, he graduated from the University of Southern California, an elite filmmaker. Since she met him, he has been deeply involved in all documentaries directed by Ms. Ito, and Mr. Okamura is passionate about the Yubari documentary. You can say it's their work, not hers.

However, Mr. Okamura has never been in a photo with Ms. Ito at the awards ceremony of Tokyo Docs or Yahoo! Creators Program. Ms. Ito has never mentioned his name, his career, or his support in the media. It's as if Mr. Okamura threw his career away in Los Angeles and agreed to live in the shadow of Ms. Ito. I guess all I can say is "good luck."

 

This was my examination of Ms. Shiori Ito's words and deeds from 1989 to April 2020. The chronological consideration ends with this post. Your supporting comments (on Twitter too) would be very encouraging. Thank you so much for reading all the way to here!

 

You can click the link below to see the Japanese version of this post.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

 

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2019] Jul-Sep

Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura in the second half of 2019 in chronological order. The sources are colored as followed:
Media coverage➡ 
Posts on social media➡ 
My comments will be indicated by 💡, actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵, and actions of Mr. Okamura by 💛.

Attempted suicide and hospitalization

Ms. Ito said at a ruling report meeting (after she won the civil case) on Dec 18, 2019.

I'm really glad that I didn't die, that I was alive for the last two years. (Applause from the audience)

I now have the support of 6 attorneys and the assist from many supporters like you, and I was able to do this civil case in a truly blessed environment, but still, there were times I felt lonely. (Omission)

It's a very embarrassing story, but 10 days before my interrogation in court on July 8th, I thought I'd end my life and attempted suicide. At that time, I was helped by medical workers and I was able to come out only after 1 or 2 days of hospitalization. It wasn't something I had planned for myself, it felt like suddenly someone pulled the rug from under me. (Omission) No matter how well you look, it suddenly attacks you. That's what they call trauma. Especially this PTSD, the trauma of sexual violence, is hard to be understood by others. Even I couldn't understand myself.

💡In conclusion, I think Ms. Ito's attempted suicide at the end of June was a lie. Even if it's not a total lie, according to her past pattern, it might have been something like she was hospitalized due to overwork, and exaggerated it as "attempted suicide." I'll explain why I think this attempted suicide is a lie more.

 

Jun 25: 💛As I wrote in the previous post, Mr. Okamura, a partner of Ms. Ito professionally and privately, tweeted on Jun 25, 3 days before Ms. Ito's suicide attempt, requesting support for crowdfunding on "Indiegogo".

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Jun 28-30 🔴Attempted suicide and hospitalized

💡She says it was "10 days before the interrogation at court on July 8th," then the suicide attempt was Jun 28. If she attempted suicide and was hospitalized for 1-2 days, Mr. Okamura, who is her partner both professionally and privately, who was with her almost all the time such as accompanying to Sierra Leone around this time, couldn't be unaware of this. As a boyfriend, he must have been panicked.

If I was him, I'd stop all my work and go into a "sticking to her 24/7" mode. I'd also stop her from all the work she had done until then, and consider counseling or, if necessary, hospitalization in psychiatry. The fact of your parter's suicide attempt must be a great shock and you couldn't help but blame yourself badly.

 

💛However, in reality, Mr. Okamura posted on Facebook on July 2nd, only a few days after she allegedly came out from the hospital, asking support for crowdfunding at "Indiegogo", the same request as he tweeted on Jun 25.

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 🔴The next day, on Jul 3, supposedly only 3-4 days after Ms. Ito was hospitalized for attempted suicide, she also posted on Facebook to announce that it was the last day of crowdfunding at "Motion Gallery" and they achieved the goal of 5 million yen.

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👆It's the last day of crowdfunding which we started for the completion of the Yubari documentary!
And today we were able to achieve our goal! Thank you for all your support! You can still participate as a supporter for the rest of the hours, it'd be great if you consider it!

We were a little worried since this was our first crowdfunding, but we're very encouraged by the messages from the supporters! We, all the staff, will do our best for the additional coverage and editing work for the future!

 

💛Mr. Okamura also tweeted and posted on Facebook at almost the same time as Ms. Ito posted.

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👆We have reached the target amount for the crowdfunding of Ms. Shiori Ito's directed work "My Beautiful Dying City, Yuparo"!! Thank you for your strong support!! We will do our best to the completion!! Crowdfunding continues until the end of today. Please kindly consider your support continuously!!

 

Looking at this series of posts on social media, it doesn't seem that both Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura were shocked by her attempted suicide, although they were working or being together before and after the day of attempted suicide. Moreover, she was receiving so much support, had increasing work offers, traveled around the world, had a blessed partner, filming a documentary that was supposed to be her dream, received awards, and almost reaching to their goal at crowdfunding for the new documentary production. And she says "I still felt lonely sometimes and tried to commit suicide." I don't buy it.

 

In the meeting after the civil ruling, she also said the following after the statement above.

However, since I was about to stand in court for interrogation at that time, people around me advised me that if this thing went public, people might take it negatively. So I could not consult many people, I only told someone who are really close (Omission)

She told only her close friends that she had attempted suicide, but she says they advised her to hide it because it would be a disadvantage for the trial. If that was true, her "close people" would be mean cold people. They tell her, while she's suffering from an attempted suicide, that she should be quiet because winning the case is more important. Can you really call a person who says such a thing "a friend"?

Again, from the pattern so far, Ms. Ito almost always blames others for her actions that could be criticized later or that could be disadvantageous to her, saying "(I didn't want to but) I was advised to do so," "I was told to say so," or "I couldn't confess because I wasn't asked."

 

She also said, "I'm glad I didn't die for the last two years." It's like saying, "The hardest time for me that I'd almost kill myself was the last two years since I went public with my face and name revealed." So it has nothing to do with PTSD of sexual violence?

Moreover, in an interview with GQ magazine, Ms. Ito explains the time when she wrote her third will, "I wrote a will, saying I would never kill myself, asking to investigate well if something happens to me."

I wrote it many times in my will that I would never commit suicide. If anything happens to me, please investigate carefully...I have no regret.

Even though she had affirmed she wouldn't commit suicide, later she confesses that she attempted suicide, saying, "like suddenly someone pulled the rug from under me," "it suddenly attacks you," even I couldn't understand myself." If you end up attempting suicide without understanding why, you shouldn't have said from the beginning, "I'll never commit suicide. If anything happens, please investigate."

 

To me, it seems that she wanted to get sympathy by saying "I had to write a will due to suspicious movements around me" and then saying "I attempted suicide because of my PTSD even it's been more than 4 years after the incident." 

If she still suffers from PTSD that much that she would commit suicide, why did she decide to do such a dangerous act of attending the press conference of Mr. Noriyuki Yamaguchi the day after the civil ruling? Also, why didn't the people around her stop her, when they must have heard about her attempted suicide story at the ruling report meeting the day before?

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What I want to point out here is that Ms. Ito's attempted suicide at the end of June 2019 is most likely a lie. I'm not necessarily saying Ms. Ito's suicidal desire itself is completely false. I'm not an expert, but I'm doubting she has some kind of personality disorder, and one of the symptoms is a suicidal wish.

However, I also lost an acquaintance to suicide at a young age, and I know the long-term suffering of the family left behind, I have to say that mentioning suicide casually or confessing attempted suicide falsely to get sympathy should not be forgiven. Lastly, I will share the page of "measures against suicide" on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.

www.mhlw.go.jp

July

Jul 08:  🔵🔴Oral proceedings at the civil litigation【Tokyo】

Jul 17:  🔴Book publishing autograph session in Shanghai【Shanghai】

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Jul 21: 🔴Gave a speech in Beijing【Beijing】

 

Jul 22: 🔴Book publishing autograph session in Sichuan【Sichuan】

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August

Aug 01: 🔴A civil trial briefing at an event site in Yotsuya 【Tokyo】

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Aug 08: 🔴Appeared in a talk event of the movie "The Journalist"【Tokyo

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👆With the executive producer, Mitsunobu Kawamura

 

💡As an aside, I think Ms. Ito is a so-called "middle-aged killer", a woman who is favored by older men. I heard that there were many elderly men gathered like Shiori's cheering group on the hearing of the civil trial. They say that one of the conditions for being a "middle-aged killer" is "being a good listener." Indeed, the way Ms. Ito in the photo above listens to the producer Kawamura would pull at an older man's heart.

 

8月27日 🔴💛Dinner with Mr. Mohamed Saidu Bah【Tokyo】
Mr. Mohamed Saidu Bah, a journalist from Sierra Leone who was involved in the production of the documentary "Complete Woman" with Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura, came to Japan for work and met with Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura in Tokyo.

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💡Both Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura are wearing clothes of seemingly African design fabrics. Maybe they were souvenirs from Mr. Mohamed. Or the clothes they bought for themselves in Sierra Leone, and they put them on for Mr. Mohamed

 

September

Sep 03: 🔴Announced the release of "COMPLETE WOMAN" on Twitter and Facebook 

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👆Two episodes of the short documentary about FGM (female genital mutilation) will be released from today. "COMPLETE WOMAN" Episode 1 is a story of Fatamata fighting to protect her daughter from FGM.

Sep 04: 🔴Shared the column she wrote for imidas about female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone on Facebook

Sep 06:

🔴Shared the column above on Twitter too 💛Mr. Okamura retweeted it

🔴Shared on Twitter and Facebook a column she contributed to Yahoo! News on Crowdfunding for legal actions

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👆I covered a startup called "Crowd Justice" a crowdfunding platform for legal actions founded in the UK by a former UN female lawyer, with a concept of expanding the judiciary with IT. It is a crowdfunding platform that forms a circle of support that assists the person concerned, who is easily isolated, not only financially but also mentally.

 Sep 10: 🔴Announce the next day's Flower Demo (demonstration) on Facebook【Tokyo】

Sep 11:

Afternoon 🔴「Announced the release of the 2nd episode of "Complete Woman" on Facebook

💛Mr. Okamura retweeted immediately on Twitter and posted on Facebook

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👆I made two episodes of a short documentary with a journalist, Ms. Shiori Ito. I participated in editing and some filming. We filmed in Sierra Leone. Please take a look. (The one that's released today is the 2nd episode, so please watch the 1st episode first.) They say that the 1st episode had 100,000 views on the day it was released!

Night 🔴Attended at Flower Demo in front of Tokyo Station【Tokyo】

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Sep 12: 🔴「Shared the 2nd episode of "Complete Woman" on Twitter, and posted an article about the Flower Demo the previous day on Facebook

Sep 13: 💛Mr. Okamura retweeted the article about Ms. Ito at Flower Demo

Sep 27: 🔴Announced on Facebook that "Black Box" was translated and published in Sweden, and attended the book fair event【Sweden】

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Sep 28: 🔴Gave a speech at "11th Global Investigative Journalism Conference"Hamburg

Sep 30: 🔴Announced on Twitter to have a book release event in Stockholm【Sweden】

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💡It is probably because of Ms. Hanna Aqvilin (from Sweden) that Ms. Ito is reported frequently in Swedish media, including the TV program "Skavlan". To date, her book "Black Box" has been translated and published in South Korea, China, Taiwan, Sweden, and France. But for some reason, it has not been translated into English and hasn't been published in the UK nor in the U.S.

 

Every year, she's really busy. If it's true that she attempted suicide between this busy schedule, she must be super lucky that her suicidal desire attacked her just on the day she wouldn't miss any of her work even if she was hospitalized afterward. She has an extraordinary talent of acting, so much so that she looked great with a good complexion in the pictures, even when it was less than a month after the suicide attempt and that no one around her realized she had tried to kill herself.

 

In the next post, we will see Ms. Ito at the ruling of the civil trial and up to the present day (April 2020).

 

You can click the link below to see the Japanese version of this post.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2019] Jan-Jun

Ms. Ito and Mr. Yuta Okamura in the first half of 2019 in chronological order. The sources are colored as followed:
Media coverage➡ 
Posts on social media➡ 
My comments will be indicated by 💡, actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵, actions of Mr. Ahlmark by 💚, and actions of Mr. Okamura by 💛.

January

💛🔴Filming the music video of the guitarist of GLAY, Takuro【Los Angeles】


👆Mr. Okamura worked as the director and Ms. Ito as the camera operator

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👆The release date of the video was February 14, so considering the time for editing and the other aspects of filmmaking, they probably filmed in LA around late January or early February.

February

Feb 05: 🔴Opened Hanashi Films Facebook page

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💡Ms. Ito started a documentary film production company with Hanna Aqvilin, the planner and assistant producer of BBC2 documentary "Japan's Secret Shame."

 

Feb 14-24: 🔴Started filming for "Complete Woman" in Sierra LeoneSierra Leone】

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👆With the local producer in Sierra Leone, Mohamed Saidu Bah

 

Feb 21: 🔴Announced video production of CRAZY × ONE MEDIA × Shiori Ito

Appeared in videos on three themes, view of marriage, polyamory, and wedding

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👆Filmed before she went to Sierra Leone, it can be around the end of 2018?

 

Feb 26: 🔴Announced the founding of Hanashi Films on Facebook

On the same day, Hanashi Films announced on the Facebook page that the documentary "Japan's Secret Shame" was nominated for the Royal Television Society Awards.

March

Mar 01: 🔴Attended the Royal Television Society Awards with Hanna Aqvilin and Erica Jenkin, the director and the producer of "Japan's Secret Shame".【London】

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👆Only nominated and missed the award. Ms. Aqvilin on the left, Ms. Jenkin in the center

Mar 06: 🔵Mr. Yamaguchi counterclaimed Mr. Yoshinori Kobayashi, a manga artist and critic, and Ms. Ito for libel

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👆[Report of litigation]

Last month I filed a suit to the Tokyo District Court for defamation against Mr. Yoshinori Kobayashi and others. It is because he drew a manga that asserted me as a criminal without grounds and spread it throughout Japan. I contributed to the Monthly Hanada, which is currently on sale, regarding this process.

I also filed a suit last month for defamation against a woman who claimed there has been a criminal act.

It is a free decision of the individual to speculate that "it may be true because a young woman has reported damage." But the women's allegation has already been dismissed twice by the prosecutor and the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution. The prosecutor who is a professional criminal investigator and the Committee that consists of 11 members of the general public examined all the testimony and evidence in detail and rejected the woman's request. If one claims it is still correct, then it is a natural duty to show the grounds.

If you assert that "that person is a criminal" and disseminate it publicly without showing any grounds, the claim itself is a crime.

From now on, I will fight against all the persons and organizations that have slandered me without grounds. If you leave the caller who disseminates false information as if it were true and has no distinction between speech and crime, then you may become a victim of defamation next time.

 

May 08: 🔴Announced the appearance in Calvin Klein's advertising on Facebook

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3月13日Mar 13: 🔴💚Shared the link of "North Korean Ghost Ships", a documentary directed by Mr. Ahlmark on Facebook

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💡Ms. Ito participated in the production as a camera person in South Korea, but the announcement is so simple that she doesn't seem interested at all. By the way, this is one of the CNA "Undercover Asia" series that follows "Lonely Death", the director is Mr. Ahlmark and Mr. Yusuke Haya who edited "Lonely Death" with Mr. Ahlmark. I'm an amateur in films, but I felt that this "North Korean Ghost Ship" and "Lonely Death" were very similar in their photography and atmosphere, although the themes are completely different.

 

Mar 16: 🔴Announced the release of Calvin Klein's advertisement in which she appears on Facebook

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💡She says in the comment, "I hated myself and my body (and) after I was violated."

However, looking at these photos posted on social media in 2015, not so long after the incident, I can't really feel that Ms. Ito dislikes her body. In fact, she seems to like to wear tight clothes that emphasize her slim body. Actions speak louder than words.

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Mar 18: 🔴💛Mr. Okamura resumes Twitter. Went to Yubari with Ms. Ito for filming【Hokkaido】

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👆I had a Twitter account but I wasn't using it at all. I will tweet various things from today

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👆Came to Yubari for filming. The air is so clean, it feels good.

 

Mar 21: 💛Mr. Okamura made a support video for Hokkaido governor candidate, Naomichi Suzuki


👆Mr. Naomichi Suzuki appears in their Yubari documentary, probably that's why Mr. Okamura made a support video for him. For Mr. Okamura, it's like an easy job.

 

Mar 26: 🔴Announced on Facebook the broadcast of "Japan's Secret Shame" on Niconico (video-sharing website)
An interview with Ms. Shoko Egawa is also posted on Niconico.

 

Mar 27: 🔴Ms. Ito posted a trailer of "My beautiful dying city, Yuparo" and requested support for crowdfunding

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👆“Yuparo, My Beautiful Dying City” Our New Documentary teaser is out!
A trailer for the documentary about Yubari, "Euparo no Michi" is released! It has been five years since I started interviewing. No matter what happens, there are people in Yubari who always smile and say "welcome back" and surround the dining table with me. It has become like my home where I can feel safe. Although the city is drawing attention for various issues such as “financial bankruptcy” and “population decline”, there is a lot to learn from the wealth and warmth of Yubari people. We want the film to convey the warmth, so we proceed as a self-produced movie, not for a reporting program. Recently, we started crowdfunding for the completion of the movie. I would be happy if you could join us in completing this documentary together.

💡Here she writes the title of the work as "Yuparo, My Beautiful Dying City'', but when she uploaded it on her Vimeo in Dec 2018, she miswrote the title as "My beautiful dying city, Yubari (Tokyo Docs Official Selection)''.

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What kind of director writes the wrong title? By the way, on the website of Mr. Yuta Okamura, who is the associate producer and, I think, who is the actual director too, the title is properly written as "YUPARO: MY BEAUTIFUL DYING CITY".

 

Mar 28: 💛Mr. Okamura requested support the crowdfunding of the Yubari documentary on Twitter

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👆We started crowdfunding for Yubari's documentary "Euparo no Michi"! The director is Ms. Shiori Ito. We would appreciate your support for the documentary of Yubari, which we have been covered for nearly five years!

He says "we have been covered for nearly five years,'' it sounds as if they've been continuously going to Yubari for 5 years. But Ms. Ito went there with Reuters colleague, Ms. Megumi, twice in 2015, and went back in Feb 2016 for the coverage of the "Yubari International Film Festival", and after that, I couldn't find any trace that she went back to Yubari until 2018.

On the same day, Ms. Megumi Lim, the colleague of Ms. Ito from Reuters, also posted on Facebook.

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As Ms. Ito herself admits in the article on imidas, it was Ms. Megumi who first began to cover Yubari. Ms. Ito decided to visit Yubari because she felt that overseas media would be interested in it. She says the reason why she filmed the documentary "Lonely Death" is also because "the topic of the aging society can get attention from overseas media".

She met Mr. Yuta Okamura, a promising movie director, in 2018, and started to revisit Yubari in the latter half of 2018 to create a self-produced documentary with a theme that can attract attention from overseas probably so that she can win award races.

 

April

Apri 04: 🔴Announced the appearance on Huffpost's live broadcasting talk show "NewsX" on Facebook【Tokyo】

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Apr 10: 🔴 Launching of "Open the Black Box" 【Tokyo】
The support group of Ms. Ito "Open the Black Box" was founded by Yang JingJa, who is the joint representative of "Nationwide action to solve the Japanese Army comfort women issue" and also the director of a general incorporated association "Seed of Hope Fund". As I explained in the previous post, she brought together Ms. Ito and the comfort women grandmothers in October of the previous year.

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Apr 11; "Citizen volunteers who are in solidarity with #MeToo of Halmoni ("grandmother" in Korean) and raise a voice of #WithYou" had placards and stood in Umeda, Osaka

💡From the speech of the launch meeting on Apr 10, and from the article on "Shimbun Akahata (Newspaper of Japanese Communist Party)" above, it is clear that Mr. Yamaguchi's counterclaim triggered the launch of the support group "Open the Black Box." Ms. Ito has a defense team of six lawyers for the civil trial. She has been sought after as a "sexual victim" from all over the world, but I don't know if she makes enough money to pay for it by herself.

 

Apr 15: 🔴Announced the publication of "Black Box" translated into French and traditional Chinese on Facebook【Paris】

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Apr 26: 🔴Announced on Facebook her appearance on BBC radio 【London】

Apri 29: 🔴Announced on Facebook that she was selected as one of Newsweek's "100 Japanese people respected in the world" 【Addis Ababa, Ethiopia】

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May

May 05: 

🔴Ms. Ito resumed Twitter. Informed her speech on online harassment at UNESCO World Press Freedom Day【Addis Ababa】

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💛Mr. Okamura launched the website of "Open the Black Box"

💡Domain owner information is actually easy to find on the Internet. The domain registrant of "Open the Blackbox -The supporting group of Ms. Shiori Ito's civil suit" is Mr. Yuta Okamura.

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May 10: 🔴Announced on Facebook that she appeared on an Ethiopian radio program 【Addis Ababa】

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May 11: 💛Attended the European Union Film Festival in Hollywood【LA】

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May 11: 🔴Announced on Facebook to speak at PEN AMERICA in New York 【NY】

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🔴💛Booked a shared room in London through a private lodging site and stayed【London】

💡I don't know what date in May and how long they stayed, but considering the schedule of Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura in the first half of May, it seems that they flew to London separately from NY and LA respectively. It is clear from the host's review written after the stay that Ms. Ito introduced themselves as "Me and my partner" to the host.

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Ms. Ito may not have her own room in London. Otherwise, she wouldn't have to bother to book a shared type room on a private lodging site in London. I've covered this in detail in a previous post, so please read it if you haven't.

 

May 27: 💛Shared Ms. Ito's interview article and asked support for crowdfunding of Yubari documentary on Twitter 

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June

Jun 13: 🔴Tweeted about the crowdfunding for Yubari documentary Sierra Leone】

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👆Thank you for supporting Yubari Documentary. We reached 65% of the goal at our crowdfunding! We will continue to do our best! With appreciation from Sierra Leone in the rainy season.

💛Mr. Okamura retweeted Ms. Ito's tweetSierra Leone】

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💡He retweeted at almost the same time as Ms. Ito's tweet, and the time was midnight in Japan. Also, Mr. Okamura later said that he "partially participated in the filming", so it is highly possible that he was at Sierra Leone with her at this time.

 

Jun 21: 🔴Ms. Ito participated in "#MeToo & Media" roundtable discussion in Hong Kong」【Hong Kong】

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Jun 24: 🔴Announced on Twitter and Facebook she started writing a column a website "imidas"

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200412030047j:plain👆I started writing a column on Imidas. In my first column, I wrote about Yubari.
Only 10 days left for crowdfunding at @motiongallery! It'd be great if you could consider supporting.

 

💛Mr. Okamura retweeted  Ms. Ito's tweet

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👆Director Ito has started her column. Her first one is about our documentary “Yuparo no Michi”! There are 10 days left until the end of crowdfunding! Please kindly consider your support!

 

Crowdfunding and Attempted Suicide

They started the crowdfunding of the Yubari documentary on Mar 27. Mr. Okamura was also putting a lot of effort into it, and you can see the two requested support via social media one after another. In the latter half of June, they continuously tweeted "it reached 65%" and "only 10 more days left".

This crowdfunding was done on a website called "Motion Gallery". On Jun 25, when they were about to reach the target of 5 million yen, Mr. Okamura tweeted that he launched another crowdfunding for their Yubari documentary on "Indiegogo", a sister website of "Motion Gallery" in America.

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Three days later, Ms. Ito suddenly attempted suicide (at least she says so).

 

Jun 28: 🔴Hospitalized for 1-2 days due to attempted suicide

 

We will look at this suicide attempt and the time series for the second half of 2019 in the next post.

 

You can click the link below to see the Japanese version of this post.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2018] Jul-Dec

Ms. Ito and Mr. Yuta Okamura in the second half of 2018 in chronological order. The sources are colored as followed:
Media coverage➡ 
Posts on social media➡ 
My comments will be indicated by 💡, actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, and actions of Mr. Okamura by 💛.

July

Jul 16: 🔴Ms. Ito attended an event of "Meeting Ms. Shiori"【London】

Jul 27: 💛Mr. Okamura posted on social media saying he was able to take photos in Morocco due to flight delay 【Morroco】

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Jul 27: 💛Filmed "Advantage Omar Washington DC"【Washington DC】

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👆Mr. Okamura was in Japan in May. Here, in July, he says he could take photos in Morocco on my way to Washington DC. So the flight was probably from Europe, not from Japan to Washington DC. Perhaps he was staying in London with Ms. Ito.

 

Jul 30: 🔴ロPromoting the BBC documentary on Facebook from London【London】 

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August

Aug 17: 💛"Advantage Omar" was nominated for Hollyshort Film Festival and they had a screening【LA】

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👆Only nominated unfortunately

September

🔴💛Booked Sedona Camp in Arizona on a private lodging site【Arizona】
👇The pictures below are from the host's page. Not the ones of Ms. Ito's stay

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The host's review says "creative filmmakers," "I hope to see their film one day". She probably stayed with Mr. Okamura.

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 💡At a press conference after the civil trial in December 2019, Ms. Ito described this trip to Arizona as follows.

I didn't know until I became a victim myself, but there are various flashbacks in everyday life. I had a flashback last year when I was hiking in Arizona, USA. It was a huge shock to me that it happened in a place where there were no factors of flashbacks, nothing that could trigger. I thought, "It follows me until here too."

Even when she and her boyfriend, Mr. Okamura, came to such a great nature in Arizona, she was shocked when she had a flashback of the time when she was raped in a hotel in Tokyo. From the review written by Ms. Ito, I can only see that two people had a wonderful time in the great outdoors in Arizona.
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Sep 12: 

🔴Announced on Facebook that FARC coverage in Colombia in April came out as an article on Yahoo! News(Video production: Yuta Okamura)

🔴Interviewed by Asahi Shimbun Newspaper【Tokyo】

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Sep 19: 💛Filmed "Advantage Omar Chicago"【Chicago】

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👆All shooting of "Advantage Omar" finished in Chicago

 

Sep 25: 💛"Advantage Omar" was nominated for the International Academy of Web Television Award and Mr. Okamura attended the award ceremony【LA】

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👆Unfortunately only nominated this time too 

 

Sep 26: 🔴Attended at the 2nd Asia Pacific Summit on Gender-Based Violence held in Taipei, Taiwan【Taiwan】

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October

Oct 06: 🔴Gave a speech at "Uncovering Asia ~The third Asian investigative journalism conference" held in South Korea【South Korea】 

 

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Oct 09: 🔴Interviewed by Hankyoreh Newspaper 

💡Before this day, the president of the Comfort Women Support Group "Seed of Hope Fund", Ms. Yang Jingja, who later launched a support group for Ms. Ito "Open the Black Box" the following year, brought Ms. Ito to "House of Sharing", a nursing home for living comfort women in Seoul.

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👆From the video of Hankyoreh TV in Korea in December 2019

 

Oct 12: 🔴Participated in the "Japan Women's Conference" to discuss solutions to issues for the realization of gender equality society【金沢】

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Oct 19: 🔴Announced the appearance on a BBC radio program on Facebook【東京】
💡Ms. Ito says "here in Japan" several times in this radio interview. It seems she participated in it from Tokyo.

November

Nov 03: 🔴Participated in a #MeToo Symposium【Tokyo】

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Nov 16: 💛Posted a photo from Makuhari Messe (a convention center) on social media【Tokyo】

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👆To a friend's comment "Are you in Japan?" he replied, "I'm staying in Japan until the end of December." And since then Mr. Okamura hasn't posted any photo on his Instagram.

December

Dec 05: 🔴Announced about speaking at the European Council on Facebook【Strasbourg, France】

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Dec 07: 🔴Shared on Facebook an article of Courrier Japon written by her on the measures against sexual violence in South Korea and Taiwan 

Dec 26: 

🔴Posted on Facebook about Ryuichi Hirokawa of DAYS JAPAN

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👆When I was a student, there was a time when I was thinking of applying for an intern at DAYS JAPAN. I believed that it was the only place in Japan where I could learn about photojournalism, which could convey the current state of the world. It is a very small industry to convey such a wide world.
Trampling on the hopes and human rights of those women who jumped into the industry with dreams to send messages through photography can never be forgiven.

We shall not stop telling those who raised their voices while fighting trauma and the past that they don't want to remember, to those who are still struggling to raise their voices, so that their hopes that have been robbed may be restored. "You're not bad at all. You've worked hard so far."

 

Since many of you probably aren't familiar with it, I'll translate the summary of the sexual and power harassment issue of human rights photojournalist "Ryuichi Hirokawa" from Wikipedia.

In December 2018, Weekly Bunshun reported that Mr. Hirokawa was suspected of forcing sexual acts on several women. Mr. Hirokawa calls women into the hotel under the name of "teaching photography" and performed sexual acts with them. Since he has a wide network of contacts with the press, and also he was abusing the staff by unreasonably yelling or swearing in the editorial department, or getting furious by a trivial thing, the victims were placed in a psychological state that "I cannot live in the news industry if I displease him" so they couldn't resist. Mr. Hirokawa denied allegations of those women in the interview with Weekly Bunshun. But after the issue was published, he apologized to the women, and said he was dismissed from the representative director of Days Japan Co. Ltd., an honorary chairman of a certified NPO corporation "Okinawa Kuminosato" after discussion.

In December 2019, Days Japan published a report of a verification committee by experts, saying that there were many cases of compulsory sexual intercourse, naked photography, and intense scolding during the entire period when Mr. Hirokawa ran Days Japan. They recognized the sexual damage, sexual harassment, and power harassment caused by Mr. Hirokawa.

According to the above report, a total of 17 women were damaged, including 3 of forced sexual intercourse, 2 of sexual physical contacts, 4 of naked photography, 7 of verbal sexual harassment (such as being asked for sex), and 1 of environmental sexual harassment (playing porn where employees can see). In addition, Mr. Hirokawa defended himself to the investigation of the committee, stating, "They were spontaneous relationships between a mutually-attracted man and woman," "I am a victim of the commercialism of Weekly Bunshun or the era of MeToo movement."

Forced intercourse, multiple victims, daily power harassment, and apology to the victims in the end...these factors show that he is almost certainly a criminal. However, Mr. Hirokawa was not arrested or prosecuted, and he resumed posting on Twitter this April. Only one of the victims has filed a civil suit seeking compensation for the damages.

The strange thing is that the people harshly criticize Mr. Yamaguchi, who has consistently denied the allegation from the beginning and never apologized, saying, "The arrest warrant was canceled by PM Abe's power," "He should be prosecuted. He's a criminal." But they don't say anything about the fact that this probable criminal, Mr. Hirokawa, is walking free.

Ms. Ito wrote in the post on Facebook introduced above, "Trampling on the hopes and human rights of those women can never be forgiven," but after all, she hasn't taken any action not to forgive Mr. Hirokawa. If this is not "hypocrisy," then I don't know what is.

 

🔴Announced the appearance on a TV program of NHK "News Watch 9" on Facebook

💡I couldn't find the video, only some images of the program. Looking at the images, you can see the NHK filming crew accompanied to "Uncovering Asia" held in South Korea on October 6, and to the "European Council" held in France on December 5.

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👆Filmed in South Korea around Oct 6. She's wearing the same neck strap of "Uncovering Asia."

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👆Taken at Ms. Ito's home, which was also shown in the BBC documentary. She says in the photo, "In any case, I think I should move. If I continue to speak up and receive backlashes, and if I commit suicide, that'll be a totally bad example."

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👆The crew accompanied the European Council held in Strasbourg, France on Dec 5.

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👆Again she mentions suicide here.
Ms. Ito: I thought, "I should have died after the abuse," or "I spoke out about the incident, I did enough."

On the lighter side, this program was nominated for the 2nd Fake News Award on a website called "Free Press Association that protects the right of people to know". It's pretty funny, so you can check it if you're interested (Please use Google translate, it's in Japanese).

Mention of suicide

In the NHK program above, she said, "if I commit suicide," "I spoke out about the incident, I did enough." However, as we have seen so far, from 2015 when the incident occurred till 2018, Ms. Ito has been vigorously active every year, and frankly, I don't think there was a time for her to be depressed due to the sexual assault and to think about committing suicide.

 

It wasn't until 2018 that Ms. Ito began to say that she had written a will. The very first mention was in an interview with ELLE in Paris in January 2018, she said, "I wrote a will before the press conference." And then in an interview with GQ magazine in Tokyo in April 2018, she said, "(I wrote) one before the press conference, one after the conference, and one before publishing Black Box." The number of wills has increased to three.

However, in the book "Black Box," there is no mention of writing a will. She says, "before the press conference, I became anxious and decided to cut my hair short because it was falling out due to stress. I even thought of shaving my head." And after the press conference, "I was exposed to criticism on the internet. I fainted and went to the hospital. I couldn't eat solid food for about 10 days, and I wanted to end it as it was." Although there are statements that express a desire for suicide, there's no reference for writing a will at all. She refers to an unstable mental state before the press conference or her desire for suicide after that. If she really wrote a will, she would definitely have mentioned it in the book.

A Habit Paranoia and Exaggeration

In the interview with GQ magazine, Ms. Ito describes the time when she wrote her third will.

I thought they were going to burke (my book's publishing), so I was hiding for a long time, but one time, I really wanted to see the ocean. So I thought I'd go to the closest beach, Yuigahama (in Kamakura). I wrote a will that I would never commit suicide, asking to investigate well if something happens to me. But in the end, I was too scared to go.

There are quite a lot of remarks of Ms. Ito saying, "I thought I would, but I didn't," or "I thought it would be, but it wasn't." For example:

  • She wanted to study Arabic to broaden the range of her coverage, but she didn't.
  • At the IKEA cafe with her childhood friend S, She said that she should have called the police from the hotel, and they thought of calling the police from there, but they didn't.
  • She thought that Mr. Yamaguchi was filming secretly on his computer, but It didn't have a camera function.
  • She couldn't stand even being connected to Mr. Yamaguchi via e-mail, but she not only voluntarily emailed him but also called him twice.
  • She thought she wouldn't be able to work in Japan if she accused Mr. Yamaguchi, but she could work without any problems.
  • Before the press conference, she thought of shaving her head instead of cutting her hair short, but she just cut her hair short.
  • Before publishing the book, she wanted to go to Yuigahama Beach but there were suspicious moves around her, so she wrote a will. But in the end, she didn't go to the beach.

These are only some examples that I could remember quickly. Studying Arabic, or shaving her head, or going to the beach...if she didn't do it in the end, then why did she even mention it from the beginning? Often saying things such as "I thought it would be, but it wasn't," or "I thought I would do it, but I didn't," is a characteristic of a person with strong paranoia, a habit of exaggerating or distorting the stories for their convenient. With that in mind, I think you can understand that you cannot just believe Ms. Ito's remarks. What's written in the "Black Box" is completely unclear which part is true and which part is false or exaggerated.

 

Looking at the latter half of 2018, you can see Ms. Ito became more and more active internationally after the press conference as a rape victim (although it wasn't prosecuted as a criminal case). On the other hand, Mr. Okamura's individual activities have more and more diminished. In the next post, we will see how Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura have become "partners" both professionally and privately in chronological order.

 

You can click the link below to see the Japanese version of this post.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2018] Jan-Jun

Ms. Ito and Mr. Yuta Okamura in the first half of 2018 in chronological order. The sources are colored as followed:
Media coverage➡ 
Posts on social media➡ 
My comments will be indicated by 💡, actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, actions of Mr. Ahlmark by 💚, and actions of Mr. Okamura by 💛.

January

Jan 08: 🔴Ms. Ito shared an article that she contributed to POLITICO EU on Facebook【London

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Approx. Jan 15: 🔴Interviewed by ELLE (The interview date is estimated from this article【Paris】

The end of Jan: 🔴Interviewd by SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) of South Korean【Tokyo】

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Jan 30: 🔴Attended the Japanese Parliament to hear the opposition party ask questions to the Prime Minister【Tokyo】

The members of the Opposition from the “bipartisan group to examine the issue of suspension of execution of the arrest warrant for the quasi-rape case”, which I mentioned in the previous post, asked questions to Prime Minister Abe at the Diet on Nov 30 and to the Chairman of Judicial Affairs Committee on Dec 1 about the suspension of the arrest warrant. But in both cases, they refused to respond stating, "I refrain from responding to individual cases as Prime Minister," "We do not accept questions about specific individuals."

Ms. Ito came and watched the debate on this day, but Prime Minister Abe's answer was that "I am not in a position to answer individual cases," "Do not ask questions based on Weekly Magazine reports."

February

Feb 23: 🔴Shared on Facebook the link of a TV show "Skavlan" in which she appeared (Broadcasted on Feb 16. Filmed around in Dec or Jan.)

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Feb 23: 🔴Photos posted of Ms. Ito speaking in an event of Human Rights Now on social media【Tokyo】

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March

March 03: 🔴Attended the start commemorative event of #WeToo Japan【Tokyo】

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Mar 07: 🔴Had an interview for Yahoo! News, and attended a discussion event for Huffpost【Tokyo】

Mar 14: 🔴Announced on Facebook that she would participate in the UN Committee on the States of Women 【New York】

Mar 16: 🔴Had a press conference at UN Headquarters and participated in the debate of Human Rights Now【ニューヨーク】

 

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Mar 16: 💛Mr. Okamura posted a photo of Harley-Davidson on social media【LA】

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Mar 21-25: 💛Filmed "Advantage Omar Miami"【Miami】

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Mar 28: 🔴Announced on Facebook that the documentary "Lonely Death" and "Racing in Cocaine Valley" were nominated for the New York Festivals 

April

Apr 04-07: 💛Filmed "Advantage Omar Charleston"【South Carolina】

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Apr 08: 🔴Ms. Ito visited the editorial department for an interview with the magazine "GQ"【Tokyo】

Apr 09: 🔴Gave a speech at Temple University, Japan Campus 【Tokyo】

 

Apr 13: 🔴💚Announced on Facebook that she won the Silver Awards at the New York Festivals for "Lonely Death" and "Racing in Cocaine Valley"【LA】

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200401011546j:plain

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200401011624j:plain👆Probably they met for the first time after the breakup. Mr. Ahlmark somewhat looks a little stiff next to her

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Winning of the Silver Awards at the New York Festivals

Ms. Ito has made a brilliant achievement to win the silver prize for both the first documentary work as a director and the first documentary work as a camera person. But could something like that really happen in real life? She must have never been involved in any documentary production, let alone in charge of photography (except for the documentary of Rohingya refugees she mentioned once...but I couldn't find any information whether it was taken shape, who she was working with, or what title she was working in.)

And more ironically, Mr. Almark, who had provided documentary works to various media for about eight years from 2008 to 2016 until he met Ms. Ito, hadn't won any ward except for Webby Award, a pay-to-enter policy Internet-oriented awards in 2014. At the "Asian TV Awards" that he accompanied by Ms. Ito in 2015, he was only nominated. However, as soon as he made two documentaries with a rookie filmmaker with no career named Shiori Ito, both of them won the Silver Award at the New York Festivals.

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👆Mr. Almark who accompanied Ms. Ito to the Asian TV Awards ceremony at the end of 2015. He wouldn't have dreamed that he would win two awards with her power 2.5 years later.

 

I think this mysterious phenomenon that "a rookie with no career suddenly wins silver awards both her first directed work and her first work as a camera person" can be explained by these two words.

UNITED NATIONS


The New York Festivals is a contest partnered by the United Nations. Ms. Ito had a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York only one month before the ceremony was held. It's not hard to imagine that her winning these awards was the result of some kind of influence.

In addition, I saw some opinions on Twitter, blogs, etc., "The media does not report that Ms. Shiori Ito won the silver awards at New York festivals at all! It's a conspiracy!" But in fact, every year there are several Japanese works winning awards at New York Festivals.

JAPAN 2016 World's Best Television & Films™ Winners & Finalist Index

JAPAN 2017 World's Best Television & Films™ Winners & Finalist Index

JAPAN 2018 World's Best Television & Films™ Winners & Finalist Index

JAPAN 2019 World's Best Television & Films™ Winners & Finalist Index

Even winning gold awards is not widely reported in Japan, so it is natural that they didn't report Ms. Ito's winning of silver awards widely. If it was reported widely to the public, that would be biased reporting.

 

By the way, note that even though this New York Festivals awards ceremony was held in Las Vegas, the location of Ms. Ito's Facebook post that I mentioned above says "Los Angeles" instead of Las Vegas. Mr. Yuta Okamura must have been staying in LA at this time, and the actions of the two people would overlap after this. I speculate that Ms. Ito and Mr. Okamura became intimate from this time.

 

And as I mentioned before, journalist Kiyoshi Shimizu made the last tweet about Ms. Ito on Apr 14, 2018. He was consulted by her through a personal route in 2015, and after the press conference in 2017, he frequently tweeted to support Ms. Ito. But since April 14, he hasn't tweeted regarding Ms. Ito. Even when she won the civil case, he completely ignored it. There's gotta be something to that.

In addition, Mr. Shimizu didn't tweet that Ms. Ito won two silver awards at the New York Festivals either. Maybe, as a journalist or as a man, did he notice something from the award?

 

Apr 18: 🔴Shared the change.org link for the petition for the Ministry of Finance to retreat the method of investigating that requires the female victim to disclose her name on Facebook from Bogota【Colombia】

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👆It is still not easy to accuse sexual violence and sexual harassment in Japan. Because it is difficult to gain understandings of others about sexual damage, such as inadequate support after the accusation. "What will I do if I can't continue to work after I went public?" There's always such fear. However, raising voices has great meaning for not making other victims in the future. Imagine your loved one having the same experience. If you don't have the imagination to understand the damage, the harm won't disappear. At the same time, the response of related organizations and surroundings play a big part in it. #Letsstop this kind of handling #WeToo #Metoo

This is a petition for signatures related to the scandal that then-Vice Minister of Finance, Fukuda, sexually harassed a female journalist. Note that the location says "Bogota, Colombia". On Facebook, the location won't be automatically displayed, you have to manually add it. Ms. Ito frequently mentions that she has been in "60 countries". This post has nothing to do with Colombia, but I guess she wanted to emphasize that she was in Colombia.

Ms. Ito interviewed FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in Bogota in April of the previous year and seems to have interviewed them again in Colombia after leaving Los Angeles. Later, the coverage article with a short video came out on Yahoo! News, and the credit for video production is "Yuta Okamura".

 

May

May 03: 🔴Report World Press Freedom Day of UNESCO Ghana 【Ghana】

May 21-30: 🔴Interviewed with girls who were raped during school closure due to EbolaSierra Leone】

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👆A photo posted on Facebook of Sierra Leone journalist, Mohamed Saidu Bah, who was later credited as a local producer with Ms. Ito's documentary "Complete Woman".

 

May 27-28: 💛Mr. Okamura posted photos taken in Setagaya Park and Yoyogi Park on social media【Tokyo】

June

Jun 09: 🔴Attended the Human Rights Now symposium at Senshu University【Tokyo】

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Jun 09: 💛Posted photos that were taken at Kamimeguro Hikawa Shrine on social media【Tokyo】

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💡Note that Ms. Ito is running on the "Nakanohashi Bridge" of Meguro River in the Korean SBS program shot in January 2018,

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200402223438p:plain👆Ms. Ito running on the "Nakanohashi Bridge"

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👆Nakanohashi Bridge

 

From "Nakanohashi Bridge" to "Kamimeguro Hikawa Shrine," it is about 500m. Also, it's about an 18-minute walk from "Nakanohashi Bridge" to "Setagaya Park". From this, It is speculated that Mr. Okamura was staying at Ms. Ito's home.

 

Jun 11: 🔴Interviewed by Nishi Nihon Shimbun Newspapers【Tokyo】

Jun 18: 💛Posted a photo that was taken in Kanagawa prefecture on social media【Tokyo】*Ms. Ito's parent' house is in Kanagawa

Jun 21-28: 💛Posted photos that were taken in various spots in Tokyo on social media【Tokyo】

Jun 26: 

🔴Appeared on the BBC program "Victoria Derbyshire"【London】

💛Mr. Okamura retweeted the video of Ms. Ito appearing on BBC

🔴Attended #MeToo event at Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation【London】

Jun 28: Broadcasted the documentary about Ms. Ito "Japan's Secret Shame" on BBC2

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Jun 30: 💛Posted the link of "Japan's Secret Shame" on Facebook

 

Ms. Ito continued to fly around in the first half of 2018. As I said before, the information here is what I could find through my research, so there could be more interviews, more coverage, or more private trips that I couldn't find. She was probably busier than this. On the other hand, the time when Mr. Okamura started posting photos from around Meguro coincides with the time when he started sharing the information (or retweeting) about Ms. Ito.

 

In the next post, we will see the second half of 2018 when Ms. Ito finally started to act in line with Mr. Okamura.

 

You can click the link below to see the Japanese version of this post.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2017] Jul-Dec

Ms. Ito and Mr. Yuta Okamura in the second half of 2017 in chronological order. The sources are colored as followed:
Her book "Black Box"➡ 
Media coverage➡ 
Posts on social media➡ 
My comments will be indicated by 💡, actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵, and actions of Mr. Okamura by 💛.

July

Jul 11-12: 💛Mr. Okamura, shooting an American program on Tennis Channel called "Advantage Omar London"【London】

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💡"Advantage Omar" is an American Tennis Channel program that Mr. Okamura played the lead editor and director of photography. Available on YouTube.

 

7月 🔴Migrated to England after being invited by a women's human rights group in London saying, "Why don't you stay in a safe place?"【London】[Source]

🔴Went to Sweden and saw how they tackle sexual violence there.【Sweden】[Source]

💡Has Ms. Ito really migrated to the UK?

As I mentioned a little in the previous post, I assume that Ms. Ito exaggerates that she "migrated to the UK after being invited by a women's human rights group in London" From her patterns so far, she often distorts the facts for her convenience.

What actually happened was probably like this. In the summer of 2017, Ms. Ito became acquainted with Erica Jenkin and Hanna Aqvilin (both live in London), who later filmed the BBC2 documentary about Ms. Ito "Japan's Secret Shame" together in the fall-winter of 2017. They became good friends and Ms. Ito was told, "Whenever you come to London, You can stay in my guest room. Think of it as you have your own room in London!" or something like that.

 

Basis ① Ms. Ito's room in the BBC documentary filmed in the fall or winter 2017 has her clothes and other items left as they are, and it does not look like she had "migrated in the summer of 2017." Looking at the video taken on May 7th, you can see that it is the same room shown in the BBC film.

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👇In the video taken on May 7, 2017, you can see it's the same room from the background.

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Basis ② It must be a "long-term stay" if she was "migrated", but in order to stay in the UK for a long time, as in other developed countries, it is necessary to pass the strict visa acquisition process (To begin with, the whole incident with Mr. Yamaguchi happened because it's so hard for her to obtain the visa in the US.)

The types of visas that foreigners can obtain for long-term stays in the UK include investor visa, entrepreneur visa, global talent visa, long-term work visas, short-term work visas, etc.

It can't be a family visa that Ms. Ito has. Also, an investor visa and an entrepreneur visa require proof of funds. Ms. Ito was renting her room on a private lodging site, it means she didn't have the funds. And a global talent visa is given to "talented and promising individuals in specific sectors." In the summer of 2017, she wasn't globally famous yet, so not applicable.

You need to be employed by a licensed sponsor to apply for a general work visa. She claims herself as a freelance journalist, so not applicable. The “charity worker visa” might be the only possibility, but this is a visa for unpaid voluntary work in the UK sponsored by a charity group licensed by the UK government. She was working appearing in various media, plus this visa allows you to stay only up to 12 months, so not applicable either.

Naoko Hashimoto, working on refugee and forced migration issues for the past 15 years, wrote this in Huff Post.

I do not know the details of Ms. Shiori Ito's personal migration course, but generally, in such a case, it is possible that the UK government accepts her under "Humanitarian Protection System."

The humanitarian protection system in the UK gives a permit to stay to those who do not apply to the definition of refugees as stated in the 1951 Convention, but there is a “real risk of serious harm” if they return to their home country.

If the UK government accepts a Japanese woman who has been bashed online because she openly accused someone of sexual violence under the "Humanitarian Protection" system, wouldn't British people say something about it? I certainly wouldn't be silent.

Then with what visa is she staying in the UK? With the standard visitor visa, you can stay for up to a maximum of 180 days within a 12 month period. It's one of the longest in the developed countries. Perhaps Ms. Ito just frequently enters and leaves the UK with a tourist visa and stays at a friend's house.

 

Basis ③ Ms. Ito has been continuously living in the room which was shown in the BBC documentary as I introduced above, still now.

This photo, posted on the crowdfunding page of her documentary "My beautiful dying city, Yubari," was taken around the end of 2018 (presumed by the length of her hair.) You can see that it's the same room as the one in the BBC documentary by looking at the kitchen in the back.

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200410154000j:plain

 

Also, recently, in March 2020, a video about "sexual agreement" that Ms. Ito narrated was released. The pictures in the BuzzFeed article introducing the video show that she is still living in the same room still now. (Photographed by Yuta Okamura)

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Basis ④ I will explain this later again, but in May 2019, Ms. Ito made a reservation for a private room (sharing the house with the host) in London on a private lodging site. The review from the host says "I enjoyed meeting Shiori and her partner." I'm sure she stayed with Mr. Okamura, but if she had moved to London and had her own room, she wouldn't need to book another shared room to stay with her boyfriend.

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For the above reasons, I think Ms. Ito did not migrate to the UK in the first place, but simply she now has a friend (or friends) who has a guest room in their apartment in London. But recently, due to Coronavirus, she is stuck in Japan because "it has become difficult to return to London."

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👆Appeared in a web program "ROSE EYE" broadcasted on April 14, 2020. She joined from her house using Skype. You can tell from the background that she's in the same room.

August

Aug 23-27: 💛Mr. Okamura filmed "Advantage Omar New York City"【NY】f:id:gatitomaurice:20200330125624j:plain

September

Sep 21: Tokyo Sixth Committee for the Public Inquest of Prosecution judged the case as "non-prosecutable"

🔴Ms. Ito was being filmed for the BBC2 documentary "Japan's Secret Shame"【Tokyo】

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Sep 23: 🔵 Mr. Yamaguchi posted a comment on Facebook regarding the "non-prosecutable" decision of the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution

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[The decision of non-prosecutable was made]

As many people are aware of in various media reports, the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution decided “non-prosecutable” regarding the case in which the female individual lodged a complaint on May 29th in response to the decision of no indictment issued in July last year.

By this, the case is completely closed and confirmed the indictment.

Although I refrained from offering information until the indictment was finalized based on various judgments, many people sent messages of encouragement and support while keeping silent. Thank you again for your support.

On the other hand, during the same period, there were quite a few media, politicians, reporters, and commentators who repeatedly made the assertion that I was a criminal. In the noise that is not based on the facts, I am relieved that 11 judges, who were selected from the general public, carefully examined all the evidence and testimony, and as a result, the indictment was confirmed.

I learned a lot from this turmoil. I would like to promote verification and learning with everyone while gradually releasing information.

 

Sep 28: 🔴Ms. Ito filed a civil lawsuit to the Tokyo District Court

October

Oct 08: 💛Mr. Okamura attended San Diego Film Festival【LA】
Documentary "Resistance Is Life" which he participated as an editor won an awardf:id:gatitomaurice:20200330143233j:plain

Oct 18: 🔴Published "Black Box" from Bungei Shunju publisher and announced it on Facebook

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👆THE TRUTH IS HERE. "Non-prosecutable". What is the decision of the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution based on? A journalist who suffered from rape asks the world. The law and the investigation, and the current state of society.

Oct 20: 🔵Mr. Yamaguchi posted a comment on Facebook  appealing for Weekly Shincho's "fabrications" and "distortions" in their coverage

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[Weekly Shincho's "fabrications" and "distortions" in their coverage]

In this week's issue of Weekly Shincho, I contacted the researcher Ms. Green, who appeared in their article.

She is very surprised and indignant after reading the article in Weekly Shincho.

● What I didn't say at all was put in quotations and written as if I had said it (fabrication)
● It is written in the article by twisting the intention of my statements (distortion)
● Even though I repeatedly appealed my opinion as a professional researcher that the interpretation of the official document that there were comfort stations for the Korean Army (at the time of the Vietnam War) was correct, the reporters of Weekly Shincho continued claiming it must be a fabrication.

She is planning to present where and how her statements were fabricated and distorted specifically, as well as to send a letter of protest to Shinchosha Publishing, regarding their reporters fabricated and distorted her statements and made a forcible interview to write an article that called my article as "fabricated."

Weekly Shincho has continued to publish countless slanderous articles about me since this May, but with Ms. Green's testimony this time, once again it shows that their coverage is full of malice, fabrication, and distortion.

The opponent is a large publisher, but now that I have received this much malicious attack, I will continue to fight firmly. I would appreciate your support and advice.

Oct 23: 🔴Press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ)【Tokyo】

Oct 26: 🔵Mr. Yamaguchi published an article in "Monthly Hanada" titled "To Ms. Shiori Ito, who sued me"

Oct 27: 🔵Mr. Yamaguchi announced on Facebook  that he restarted the journalist activity

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[Greetings: I will restart the journalist activity]

In May, a woman named Shiori Ito took a judicial action based on "a claim that is completely different from the facts", and after a variety of judgments, I refrained from activities as a reporter. However, Ms. Ito's allegation was rejected by the decision of the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution last month as "non-prosecutable", and the case was completely ended as a criminal case. In response to this, I have decided to officially resume press activities. As the first activity of restart as a journalist, I contributed to two monthly magazines released yesterday (10/26). Both magazines are available at most bookstores nationwide.

● Monthly Hanada “To Ms. Shiori Ito who sued me”
● Monthly Will “Unveiling of the eve of dissolution -Prime Minister Abe's dark solitude”

In Monthly Hanada, I logically explain my assertion about this case.
In Monthly Will, I report about the situation in North Korea which I investigated during the silence period, along with the state of internal affairs such as the snap general election.

I am honored if you let me hear your opinions on the articles above and others. Criticism is also welcome. However, please refrain from asserting based on false grounds, making unfounded judgments, or slanderous acts against others. Thank you for your cooperation.

Oct 28: 🔵Appeared on the online program of Editor Kazuyoshi Hanada "A little leaning toward the right ..."

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Oct 29: 🔵Mr. Yamaguchi posted on Facebook  to tell his father fainted and was hospitalized urgently

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200506124016j:plain

【Apology】

My old father was urgently hospitalized.

Since a woman named Shiori Ito held a press conference in May, my family has received countless swear words, slanderous emails and postcards. Weekly Shincho continued to write articles of slander that deny my personality over and over again. And there have been countless coverages on television, newspapers, and magazines, accepting Ms. Shiori Ito's claim blindly, calling me a criminal. On October 18, Ms. Shiori Ito's book, in which she repeatedly wrote the claims rejected by the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution because they were completely different from the facts, was released by a major publisher. My family was exposed to high levels of stress for nearly half a year. In the end, my old father who is over 80 years old collapsed yesterday.

Before he fainted, he lamented, "Why does media out there assert you as a criminal even after the Committee's decision?"

Also, at a press conference held by Ms. Shiori Ito on October 24, a TBS caster Shigenori Kanehira said, "I'm so angry. I can't understand." My father trembled with anger and said, "Did that Kanehira guy interview you? Are all your TBS colleagues just like that? "

Also, regarding the article written by a journalist, Isoko Mochizuki, of the Tokyo Shimbun Newspapers that only introduced Ms. Shiori Ito's claim, my father asked me, "Why none of your statement is mentioned here?" I haven't received any interviews or inquiries from either Kanehira or Mochizuki, so I had no choice but to look down. Mochizuki, in the interview article published in July, revealed the profession of my old father who was completely unrelated to this case, and scattered misinformation that was not true.

For self-proclaimed journalists who seem to support Ms. Shiori Ito's human rights, such as Kanehira and Mochizuki, the human rights of me and my aged parents may not be worth considering.

Tonight, my old father sleeps alone with his stress-worn organs in a bare, cold hospital. What on earth is it that's torturing an 83-year-old man who came out of the countryside of Nagasaki and worked hard for 60 years to reach the last stage of his life? There is no doubt that my parents would not have undergone this unspeakable suffering if they had not born me and raised me.

I will never forget the color of a large amount of fresh blood from my father's internal organs. I've never been a filial son. This time, I'm really sorry to drive my old parents into an even harsher environment.

I received a lot of encouragement and opinions regarding the announcement of the resumption of press activities. My father collapsed while I was replying to your messages in a happy mood after a long absence. I'm really sorry for the delay in replying to the encouragement I received, but for now, please let me prioritize my father's care and my mother's support. I will inform you when thing are calm down. I appreciate your understanding.

December

Dec 02: 💛Mr. Okamura filmed a mountain cyclist specializing in Four-cross, Anneke Beerten【LA】

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💡He made a film for Olympus OM-D and the video was uploaded to YouTube the following year.

Mr. Okamura speaking in the making video

Dec 05: 🔴The first oral pleading of the civil trial【Tokyo】Filming for the BBC2 documentary

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👆Ms. Ito singing Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive" in a taxi on the way to the court

 

Dec 12: 🔴Live appearance on a TV personality's radio program【Tokyo】

Dec 16: 🔴Attended the third meeting of the bipartisan group to examine the issue of suspension of execution of the arrest warrant for the quasi-rape case【Tokyo】

In response to Ms. Ito's claim that the arrest warrant against Mr. Yamaguchi was suspended by an order from above on the verge of execution, several members of the opposition parties gathered and formed the above group.

On Nov 21, the first hearing was held from the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice at the Diet members' office building, the second hearing on Nov 27th, and then the third on Dec 16 as above, and finally the fourth on Feb 15, 2018. However, there was nothing that Ms. Ito and the opposition parties gained in the end, except the fact that the arrest won't take place sometimes regardless of whether with or without an arrest warrant or the timing of execution.

 

Dec 17: 🔴Shared the link to BBC interview audio on Facebook【London】

Dec 24: 🔴Shared the coverage of herself on a newspaper in Sweden on Facebook【Sweden】

Dec 30: 🔴Shared the New York Times article written by Ms. Motoko Rich on Facebook

* She spent the New Year holidays in London

 

💡That 2017 for Ms. Ito and the people surrounding her. For Ms. Ito, 2017 was a memorable year in which her name and face spread all over the world, including the realization of a press conference, was interviewed by many press outlets, and was filmed for a BBC documentary.

Ms. Ito explains the reason why she moved to England in the summer of 2017: "Rape is a taboo topic in Japan and it has a strong stigma against rape victims, so I got backlash, online harassment and threats for my life and in the end, I had to move to London away from my family." [France 24]

But she had spent most of her adult life abroad, away from her family in the first place. Just three months after returning to Japan due to the expiration of the student visa, she sent an e-mail to Mr. Yamaguchi asking him to arrange a job and a work visa in Washington D.C. Wasn't it the beginning of the incident? She even uses the "living in overseas" thing which she had hoped as a tool to attract sympathy like, "I'm a poor person who had to move to another country because of criticism."

 

Ms. Ito is not the only one who's being criticized. Some of the mean comments against Yamaguchi are even more severe than those against Ms. Ito. Despite the decision of the prosecutor not to indict, and the decision of the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution, which consists of 11 randomly selected citizens, as non-prosecutable, the media and the public continue to criticize him as the perpetrator. It seems they think any kind of inhumane abuse is permissible to a dirty rapist. On the other hand, the voice of doubt against Ms. Ito about her behavior is labeled as a "second rape" and accused of not being humane. Even though there's no evidence that Ms. Ito is really a victim.

 

As you probably know, Amber Heard accused Johnny Depp of domestic violence when divorcing him in 2016. Recently, the conversation audios of the two were leaked, and it was revealed that not only Amber most likely lied that she was abused by Johnny, but she was the one who abused him.

There are many similarities between Amber Heard and Shiori Ito. For example, after Amber accused Johnny of domestic violence, she became an outspoken advocate for women and sexual minorities. She has been active as one of the Human Rights Champions of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, such as a trip to Jordan to meet Syrian refugees. She has also appeared in a video titled "Speak up" (now deleted).

 

Amber's allegations in the December 2018 Washington Post article are strikingly similar to Shiori Ito's, almost the same.

 

 

In this article, Amber claims, "I want to ensure that women who come forward to talk about violence receive more support." But many have doubted the credibility of her since she claimed to have been abused by Johnny (and they were right), and the criticisms she received came from her false allegation in the end. The situation is remarkably similar to Ms. Shiori Ito's case.

 

In the next post, we will see the first half of 2018 when Ms. Ito finally started to act in line with Mr. Okamura.

 

You can click the link below to see the Japanese version of this post.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2017] Jan-Jun

Ms. Ito's life in the first half of 2017 in chronological order, when she finally became known to the world. The sources are colored as followed:
Her book "Black Box"➡ 
Media coverage➡ 
Posts on social media➡ 
My comments will be indicated by 💡, actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵, actions of Mr. Ahlmark by 💚, and actions of Mr. Sato by 💜.

January

Jan 01: 🔴A friend of Ms. Ito posted a photo of them visiting the Heian Shrine in Kyoto on her social media.

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👆It may not have been taken on Jan. 1, but it seems that it is at least late November to December 2016 due to their clothes. Her friend seems she got interested in wearing Kimono (Japanese traditional garment) since 2016, so she might have invited Ms. Ito to the trip.

 

Jan 05: 🔴A friend of Ms. Ito posted a photo of them visiting Toyokawa Inari Shrine in Akasaka Mitsuke, Tokyo, on her social media.

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👆Posted by the same friend as above. But it seems they actually visited the shrine on this day.

Ms. Ito spent the New Year of 2016 with Mr. Ahlmark in England, but in 2017, she spent the New Year in Japan.

 

Jan 05: 🔴Shared the trailer of "Lonely Death" documentary on her Facebook

In the comments of this post, Ms. Ito replied to a comment of congratulation from a seemingly close friend, "Thank you! At last! There was another big upset though...I'll tell you next time! lol" I'm also a woman, but when I tell my friend, “I'll tell you next time! lol", it's 100% girls talk about relationships/boys. lol

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👆A friend: Shiori, finally!! Only watching the trailer makes me shiver! So looking forward to it!
Ms. Ito: Thank you! At last! There was another big upset though...I'll tell you next time! lol

By "another", it means that there was another "big upset" before. The relationship with Mr. Ahlmark might have not been going well since the latter half of 2016.

 

Jan 10: 💚Mr. Ahlmark announced the broadcasting of the "Lonely Death" documentary on social media.

After this, he traveled around mainly in Southeast Asia, and no photos of Ms. Ito were posted on his social media until April 2018. I'm not sure exactly when, but it seems that the relationship deteriorated at the end of 2016 and they broke up at the beginning of 2017.

Jan 31: 🔴A video of The Economist "The Earth Circle: making environmentalism pay its way" was published

According to Ms. Ito's website, although it is unclear in what position she worked, she is involved in the production. The Economist is a British weekly newspaper published by the Economist Group in London. I assume this is also a job she got via Mr. Ahlmark.

February

Feb 28: 🔴Announced on her Facebook that the documentary "Racing in Cocaine Valley" was out
She wrote in Japanese, "I had a lot of fun every day in the hot jungle. I am planning to go to South America this year again! I have to work on my Spanish."

March

Mar 09: 🔴Shared on her Facebook and Instagram an Al Jazeera's article about Japanese gropers that she participated as an additional reporter.

Al Jazeera is a media outlet that Mr. Ahlmark had repeatedly provided films. I assume this is also a work realized via Mr. Ahlmark's introduction.

🔴A journalist, Kiyoshi Shimizu contacted her and said the Weekly Shincho offered to cover the case with Mr. Yamaguchi. They decided to have a meeting. However, she had to go to Colombia for the coverage so they decided to meet after returning home.

💡Kiyoshi Shimizu, the journalist who quietly disappeared.

Kiyoshi Shimizu, a journalist who is famous for his book in which he accused the police of its sloppy investigation in a murder case, says Ms. Ito contacted him through a personal route at the end of July 2015. He appeared on a radio program and talked about it on July 3, 2017, after Ms. Ito had a press conference in May. [Transcription in Japanese]

I listened to the radio program, it seems Mr. Shimizu judged that Ms. Ito's claim had "credibility" only because her story had not changed. So basically he listened to only her side of the story and believed it. He must have watched the hotel's security camera footage, but I guess the hotel's security footage is just like a magic mirror that shows the viewer what they want to believe.

*Please RT on Twitter #伊藤詩織氏のカルテと防犯カメラ動画の公開を求めます (We request to disclose the medical records of Ms. Shiori Ito and the security camera footage)

 

Since he appeared on the radio program, he frequently tweeted to defend and support Ms. Ito on Twitter. But after the tweet on April 14, 2018, he suddenly stopped tweeting about Ms. Ito.

He was supporting her publicly that much, at least he should have tweeted something when Ms. Ito won the civil case. But he was totally silent. It was too abrupt that he shut his mouth about her, it makes me want to ask him gently, "Oh, Kiyoshi, honey...What have you found out?"

I'll tell you what happened around April 2018, when Mr. Shimizu stopped supporting Ms. Ito in the next, next post.

April

Apr 02: 🔴She posted a photo on social media from Bogota, Colombia

Apr 23: 🔴She tweeted to ask for an interview about FARC (The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)

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👆Hi, my name is Ito, a freelance journalist/documentary maker. I'm currently covering FARC in Colombia, and I'd love to ask you about something. Could you contact me?

Apr 29: 🔴On the way back from Colombia, she stopped in New York.

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May

May 01: 🔴Friends reunion in New York

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200329181813j:plain

 

🔴After returning to Japan, she attended the meeting with Mr. Kiyoshi Shimizu and the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shincho. At this point, she already decided to open her face and her full name, but Mr. Shimizu stopped her from disclosing her full name.

May 07: 🔴She filmed a video of herself talking about the situation in English that later was inserted into the BBC documentary.

💡Some people think the BBC had been sticking to the unknown woman, Ms. Ito, from this time, but I rather think she had already made a plan to sell herself to foreign media as a victim of sexual assault. The BBC documentary filming was apparently taken place in fall-winter 2017, and it seems to be decided around the summer when Ms. Ito allegedly was offered to migrate to England by a female human rights group in London.

Judging from the patterns so far, it's highly possible that she didn't migrate to London by a human rights group's offer as she explains. I'm guessing that Ms. Erica Jenkin or Ms. Hanna Aqvilin, the producers of the BBC documentary about Ms. Ito, told her that she could stay in their apartment's guest room whenever she wanted, or something like that. I will discuss this later.

 

What I've found in the research of Ms. Ito's life so far is that she is a person who has a strong desire to be recognized overseas and live abroad. She's pushy and ambitious. When she wants something, she wants it right away, but not persistent. She's very good at attracting sympathy and getting support from others, especially men. And to get what she wants, she has no qualms to exaggerate, distort, and hide for her convenience.

We've seen her 2015 and 2016, and how she was moving vigorously here and there, ordinary people can't even imagine. Since the information I could get online must be just a part of it, not everything. It's highly possible that she actually traveled more or did more things. It almost makes me dizzy just by writing about all of her trips.

 

With all that enthusiasm, ambition, energy, and charm, getting what you want may not be so difficult. People who succeed in society may have similar characteristics more or less. In fact, after the press conference with her first name and her face open, Ms. Ito started to move around the world more actively.

She's actively promoting help for victims of sexual assault, improved legislation, and the spread of sexual education as a "rape survivor". Some people may think, "It's good for society and the public, who cares if she's a real victim or not?" But if the social significance is based on the compulsory sacrifice of a man's career, honor, family, and life, it cannot happen in a civilized society.

 

May 08: 🔵Mr. Yamaguchi posted on Facebook that he received questions from the magazine Weekly Shincho.

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I translate his post into English in order to be fair.

[About my scandal article]
On the weekend, I received an email from a journalist from a weekly magazine, covering my scandal and asking me to answer the questions for this week's issue.

I'm currently struggling with eye disease, so I had a hard time reading the small letters, but I did my best to answer the questions as politely as possible. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of article will be published and how much my answers are reflected.

PS:
The roses which were hit by heavy rain and looked down rose again after the storm.

 

May 10: The article about the case was published for the first time in the  Weekly Shincho magazine.


🔵Mr. Yamaguchi posted on Facebook about the article in Weekly Shincho.

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200506013204j:plain

This comment of Mr. Yamaguchi is super long. So bear with it

[About the Weekly Shincho's article]
Regarding this week's issue of Weekly Shincho, I would like to speak about my views and coping policy to my friends on Facebook, who have been much support and guidance. Due to the nature of the matter, there is a lot of personal content that is irrelevant to my work as a journalist, so please skip this if you are not interested.

 

⚫︎ First, let me clarify the following three points:
- I have never violated the law.
- As a result of a strict investigation by the authorities, the final conclusion has been made that there was no illegal activity.
- I have not been arrested or prosecuted during this process.
(Not limited to this time, I have never been arrested or prosecuted)

 

Again, I have never violated the law. If, as mentioned in the article, I used the so-called "date rape drug," filmed with a hidden camera, or raped her, then the great Japanese law enforcement or judicial agency should not have overlooked. I provided the authorities with all sorts of evidence, including my personal computer, my tablet, and my mobile device, and after cooperating fully with the investigation, they finally concluded that there was no criminal activity.

If you were to be accused of what you didn't do, I'm sure you would do the same as I did.

Even after the final conclusion that there was no criminal activity about a year ago, I was aware that this individual was trying to sell this story as a scandal to various media. However, I have nothing to hide, so I have continued to work as a journalist by publishing books and appearing on TV.

It's really hard to understand why this article came out after I left the company and started media activities in earnest. In any case, this article will seriously damage my social life, so I will consider decisive measures, including legal actions.

 

⚫︎ About the arrest warrant
In the article, it seems that some political force worked and the arrest warrant was suspended, but it is clear as day that it's impossible for me to ask someone about the arrest warrant at all. So let me explain in chronological order. (Although it is stated that the arrest warrant was issued in the article, I still have no way of knowing whether or not it was true. The people from the authority never showed or mentioned it. All investigations were voluntary.)

In March 2015, when I was the chief of TBS Washington bureau, I wrote an article about "The comfort stations for the Korean army during the Vietnam War" in Weekly Bunshun. In late April, I was punished by the company for it, and I was ordered to move to the sales department after being dismissed from the Washington bureau chief.

 

"Yamaguchi's return to Narita Airport in Japan on June 8th" in the article of Weekly Shincho refers to the day when I returned to Japan to start working at the sales department. The article states that the arrest warrant was canceled just before my arrival in Narita Airport.

However, when returning to Japan, of course, I did not know that I was the subject of an investigation by the authorities at all. I arrived at Narita Airport normally and I remember heading to the city center with my former boss of the company who came to pick me up.

After that, I think it was in the middle of June, I learned about the damage report for the first time when the Metropolitan Police Department officers came to my house. The two officers were very polite and asked me to cooperate in the voluntary investigation. I didn't have anything to hide, so I told them that I would fully comply, and all the investigations started.

In short, when I returned to Japan on June 8, I didn't know anything about the damage report or the secret investigation, let alone the arrest warrant. No one can take any action to cancel an arrest warrant who does not even know if it has been issued.

 

⚫︎ About the visit to the US this time
Right now, I am covering stories overseas continuously, starting with the forum in North America on May 1. In addition to interviewing the US and other countries about the situation in North Korea, I also interview experts and foreign affairs officials regarding Japan-US relations to hear their thoughts. In the midst of it, on May 6th, a reporter from Weekly Shincho contacted me via mobile phone and email, and received the inquiries. As a result, I first learned that Weekly Shincho will publish an article about me. Therefore, it is completely different from the fact that I fled abroad because Weekly Shincho's article would be uncomfortable for me.

 

It became a long and random sentence. Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of you who sent me messages of encouragement. I look forward to your continued guidance.

 

May 29:

🔴Her first press conference. On the same day, a complaint is submitted to the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution.

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🔵Mr. Yamaguchi posted on Facebook about Ms. Ito's press conference.

f:id:gatitomaurice:20200506031029j:plain

About the press conference regarding the article of Weekly Shincho]
A woman who was the informant of the article about me in Weekly Shincho had a press conference, so I would like to give my opinion.

First of all, I've never violated the law.

Therefore, since June of last year, I have sincerely responded to the investigation by the authorities. A detailed investigation based on the evidence, including the issues that the woman asserted at this press conference, was conducted for more than a year, resulting in the conclusion of no prosecution. So I am neither a suspect nor a defendant.

Of course, all individuals of the non-prosecutable cases have the right to appeal to the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution, so if the complaint is filed, I will respond in all sincerity as I have until now.

On the other hand, the decision not to be prosecuted was already announced to all parties in July last year. With this conclusion, I started full-scale press activities.

If the woman was really dissatisfied with the non-indictment conclusion, she would have filed a complaint immediately. Why did she take future actions after I became exposed to the media, and why did the article of the weekly magazine that unilaterally picked up the allegation of the woman come out first, I'm trying to get the big picture to consider the future course of action.

 

💡The deleted press conference

The video of the press conference on this day somehow cannot be found, as it's talked about on other websites and blogs.

I found a partial video of the press conference that was in the news on that day, so I'll post it here.

💛Mr. Yuta Okamura

In exchange for Mr. Ahlmark, the man who is currently supporting Ms. Ito professionally and privately (but not officially) is Mr. Yuta Okamura. It is not until 2018 that the two started working together, but I would like to introduce him first here.

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Yuta Okamura

Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, in 1987 or 1988 (estimated by graduation year). His biography on his own website says as below.

Yuta Okamura is a filmmaker born and raised in Japan. He studied directing at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, earning his BA degree in 2012. He has directed numbers of branded contents, TV shows and music videos in Los Angeles, Tokyo and around the world. 

However, this introduction hardly conveys Mr. Okamura's awesomeness. I really enjoyed this interview article.

To put it simply, Mr. Okamura, who had a dream of becoming a film director from an early age, went to NIC International College in Japan after graduating from high school. He studied English for one year, which he could hardly speak at that time, in order to enter the University of Southern California (USC) which is said to be the world's best academy of film making. Besides studying English, he also joined a movie club. Since he didn't have a personal computer, he applied for a video contest from Adobe and won a desktop computer. He made a short film with his movie club friends with that computer and won the Grand Prix at the domestic film festival.

Upon completion of NIC, he received a scholarship and first took liberal studies at Santa Monica College. After that, he transferred to USC, which is said the chance for entry is one in eighty. At the time of graduation, he was selected as one of the directors of the graduation production that only four people can be chosen in the school year, and the short film they made, "Waking Up", won numerous film festivals, including Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Acting at Asian On Film Award.

In 2017, when he presumably met Ms. Ito, he moved back and forth between his hometown of LA and Japan, working as a director or an editor, appearing at the award ceremony of a documentary he had participated in. However, as soon as he started to work with Ms. Ito, he shows his complete devotion towards her as if he had left his own life behind.

 

In the next post, we will see Ms. Ito's second half of 2017, when she started to be sought after in the media, including the moves of Mr. Okamura, in chronological order.

 

You can click the link below to see the Japanese version of this post.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com