The timeline of Shiori Ito [2015] April 7-14

Ms. Ito's life after the incident, from April 7 to April 14. The sources are colored as followed:
Her book "Black Box"➡　
Media coverage➡　
Posts on social media➡　
Court documents➡　
My comments will be indicated by 💡. actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, and actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵.

Apr-07 (Tue)

As I wrote in my previous post, Ms. Ito's book says she met her childhood friend S who was a nurse on April 6, but actually, they met on April 7.

To briefly describe the story in the book, the two of them picked a knee brace at a pharmacy, entered a cafe to have lunch, and Ms. Ito told about the incident to S, and they both cried together at the cafe. Ms. Ito was pale and shaking, her hands were cold with sweat. S grew up with Ms. Ito, when Ms. Ito drank alcohol the first time, she was there. So she knows how much Ms. Ito can drink, and knows her character, S says, "I don't think you would drink that much at a business dinner with your superior." S also lived in New York around the same time as Ms. Ito, and they talked about the possibility of DRD (Date Rape Drug). Ms. Ito said she should have called 110 (police call center) from the hotel, then the two wondered whether they should go to the police station from there.

💡The statement of Ms. Ito's childhood friend, S, is browsable at the court. In the statement, S says, "I heard about the incident in the cafeteria of IKEA we went to," and "she regretted that she should have called 110 from the hotel room because there was little objective evidence other than her own testimony in this kind of closed room case where there was no third party's testimony."

Why didn't they call 110 from the cafeteria of IKEA? Or they could have gone to the police.

"We wondered whether to go to the police together, but she was still hesitating because of her job, so we just went home on that day," says S. But if Ms. Ito regretted that she should have called 110 from the hotel because there was little objective evidence other than her own testimony in this kind of closed room case where there was no third party's testimony, then they should have known the best thing was to just GO TO THE POLICE.

Apr-08 (Wed)

Ms. Ito says in the book, while she had not received any emails from Mr. Yamaguchi, she realized maybe there hadn't been such fact that she had been assigned a producer. She was so frustrated and sad, and thought he might be treating her as objects. She took a break from work telling them her knee hurt. She then decided to go to the police.

💡As you see in the pre-incident emails between Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi, it is clear that she had not been assigned the position of producer. Although they were omitted from the book, Ms. Ito herself said, "the visa is the difficult part to deal with," and "I'm glad I can have some hope!" This indicates that she was aware of the fact that she had not been officially assigned.

Ms. Ito also claimed that they did not talk about the visa at dinner on April 3. Mr. Yamaguchi claimed that he had talked about it in the restaurant, and it's obviously not that he said, "congratulations! You're assigned."

So when did Ms. Ito think she had been assigned the job as a producer? She wouldn't say it's when she was told, "You've passed," right after she was raped, and she thought, "I've been assigned a producer", would she? However, in Ms. Ito's story, there's no other statement of Mr. Yamaguchi that could lead to the misunderstanding except that.

Her book says, she went with her best friend K to the house of R, another friend of Ms. Ito's, before going to Harajuku Police on April 9, and told them that she might have been "quasi-raped." She met the nurse friend, S, on April 7, so she's supposed to have met K and R on April 8.

R once quit her job for sexual harassment and made the harasser apologize, but later lost the trial. At the recommendation of K and R, she decided to send another email to Mr. Yamaguchi on the spot. Ms. Ito didn't want to remember him, so mostly K and R wrote the email. But the second email from Ms. Ito to Mr. Yamaguchi was actually sent on April 14.

It also says she continued to write emails during her visits to Harajuku Police on the 9th and 11th because she didn't want him to know she was consulting the police, and her friends wrote the email on behalf of her. But it's also not true. Ms. Ito didn't send any email to Mr. Yamaguchi from the "Thank you for your hard work" email on April 6 until April 14.

The second email was apparently written by someone other than Ms. Ito (I'll explain this later). So, if she says she sent the second email on the spot when she met with K and R, that means they met on the day the second email was sent, April 14. Until then, she had been quietly visiting the police by herself. This is also her attempt at image manipulation.

Apr-09 (Thu)

In the evening 🔴Went to Harajuku Police alone to report the damage, cried, almost hyperventilated


👆Harajuku Police Station

Past 22:00 pm The childhood friend S came to pick her up at the station and Ms. Ito went back to her parents' house.

Apr-11 (Sat)

She went to Harajuku Police again and met Mr. A, a police investigator at Takanawa Police. Mr. A says, "It's been a week, it's difficult," "It's a common story," and "There's not enough evidence." Ms. Ito says, "Please check out the security camera at the hotel."

She told her family about the incident. Her mother shook with anger and said, "I'm going to kill him." Her father told her to be angrier. However, Ms. Ito strangely couldn't feel anger toward Mr. Yamaguchi from that time, and her complaints were directed at the police, the hotline centers for the victims, and the hospitals. The police also said, "You have to cry more or get angrier. You must act like a victim."

💡She wrote herself that only two days ago, on April 9, she "cried, almost hyperventilated" at Harajuku Police when she claimed the damage. Also, in the email conversation with Mr. Yamaguchi, especially in the omitted parts which will be shown later, she intensely blamed him. If that's not anger, then what is? You will soon see and judge for yourself.

Daily Shincho (news website) interviewed Ms. Ito's parents after the civil court's decision in December 2019 and asked them how they had felt to hear about the incident (Curiously, her mother said she had been told about it about a month after the incident). In the article, Ms. Ito's mother says this.

I want to ask Mr. Yamaguchi how would you feel if you had a daughter? If you were in the opposite position, what would you do?

I'd like to ask her. What if your son had been falsely accused as a sexual assailant and you were in the opposite position, what would you do?

It's natural for a parent to support your own child. I don't blame them. However, Mr. Yamaguchi has consistently denied the charges, and both prosecutors and the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution have ruled that the charges should not be prosecuted. Still, not only in Japan but all over the world, your daughter's books have been translated and published, and she appears in the media, accusing him of being a "rapist who drugs a woman." I'd like to ask how you would respond when your son, Ms. Ito's little brother, was in exactly the same situation. 

Apr-14 (Tue)

🔴Ms. Ito emailed Mr. Yamaguchi

The book says, as I mentioned earlier, her friends wrote on behalf of Ms. Ito. They decided to act modestly, apologize for her swearing, and tell him that she was confused so that they could draw out words of apology. Below is the email omitted from the book.

Otsukaresama desu (Thank you for your hard work.)
Last time, I didn't know what to do, so I just emailed you like normally. But, I couldn't get it off my mind. The other day when I woke up, I was in the hotel, and then that happened. I was so shocked that I swore at you, but...
what did you mean when you said that I had passed?
I trusted you so much...
Could you reply to me? I'm sorry to bother you when you're busy.
17:20pm (04:20am in EDT)

💡Does this email seem like it's trying to draw out an apology? No matter how I read it, the subject of the email seems: "What do you mean by I've passed?", asking about her work in the previous email. It sounds modest superficially, but really it's threatening him for a working visa, saying, "We had sex, didn't we?" or "You said I passed, didn't you?" Note that this was surely written by her friends, K and R, because Ms. Ito uses "。。" instead of "..." when using dots in the sentences. 

👆Ito's blog posted in May. 2013, has many "。。"

👆Ms. Ito's Facebook post in Jan. 2017, also has "。。"

Mr. Yamaguchi immediately replied this time.

Well, I don't remember being sworn at, at all.

Currently, I'm talking to the TBS International headquarters in New York about what kind of patterns can exist to hire you. In order to hire you as a producer from the beginning, it would be increasing the staff of the branch office so we have to make a new budget. The bar will be lower if you start working as an intern.

As for the VISA, in order to support you to acquire the VISA as a producer, you will need to come here first and have an official interview. In effect, you'll pass but then you have to return to Tokyo and have your VISA posted on your passport in the US embassy. For interns, no interview is necessary. This is also a difference in American law based on whether or not to pay salaries.

In any case, I am currently negotiating with the new president of New York. Please wait for a while.
19:18pm (06:18am in EDT)

💡In response to this reply, Ms. Ito says in her book that it was too bad that it didn't have words of apology and only talked about business. The email is certainly businesslike. This is consistent with the businesslike tone of Mr. Yamaguchi in front of the camera at the press conference held at FCCJ after the civil ruling in Dec. 2019 (It should be because he wrote it.)

What's not consistent is the words the book "Black Box" claims he said, "I really like you," "I want to take you to Washington as soon as possible. You've passed," "Let me keep your panties as a souvenir," "You looked like a competent woman, but now you're like a lost child, so cute."

The last time he was with her, he sounded like nothing but a perverted old man, saying, "I really like you," "Let me keep your panties." But in his first replying email, he didn't say anything perverted.

If he was a totally perverted dirty old man as Ms. Ito claims, he would be likely to say disgusting things like, "You looked so cute even when you were swearing at me," or "I can't forget that night," or "Do you wear my T-shirt every day?" in regard to the T-shirt he lent her, saying, "Wear this"(according to Ms. Ito's claim). In reality, however, it's the exact same businesslike tone that he had at the conference, and it always remains calm and logical in the subsequent email messages, and it never changes.

In the next post, we'll continue to examine Ms. Ito's words and deeds after the incident.

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

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2015] April 4-6

April 4 after entering the room of the Sheraton Hotel, till April 6, 2015. The sources are colored as followed:
Her book "Black Box"➡　
Media coverage➡　
Court documents➡　
My comments will be indicated by 💡. actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, and actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵.

Apr-04 (Sat)

The arguments between the two about what happened in the hotel room are drastically different. The details of the "closed room" that Ms. Ito claims have been revealed in many places, including her book "Black Box," the BBC documentary, and her interview articles. Meanwhile, the number of media articles that provide Mr. Yamaguchi's story of what happened in the closed room is zero. He has not disclosed details in any media, saying it could offend Ms. Ito, but revealed them for the first time in court documents.

Ms. Ito's "Black Box" hasn't been translated into English, so I'd like to briefly summarize Ms. Ito's and Mr. Yamaguchi's story about the closed room here.

Ms. Ito's Story

When she woke up with severe pain, she realized that he was raping her. A laptop was sitting on the shelf unnaturally and she thought it was recording her intuitively. She tried desperately to push him away, saying, "It hurts, it hurts," but she couldn't getaway. When she said, "I want to go to the bathroom," he finally stopped. She saw his penis which had no contraceptives on. She locked herself up in the bathroom and saw her body with red marks and blood here and there in the mirror. She realized she was in Mr. Yamaguchi's hotel room by seeing men's amenities such as razors.

She thought she had to leave the room, so she opened the bathroom door, but Mr. Yamaguchi was standing right in front and grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her down to the bed. Her body and head were pressed against the bed forcefully, and he tried to rape her again. She turned her face away as he tried to kiss her, and her face was pressed against the bed and she was almost suffocated. She thought he was going to kill her, and the morning news about herself and her mother's crying face popped into her head. She curled herself up and resisted with all her might, and when he stopped pushing her head, she said, "It hurts. Please stop," but he said, "Does it hurt?", and tried to open her legs by grabbing her knees. Her knee hurt badly, but she kept resisting for a few minutes.

Finally, he stopped and she cursed him in English, "What a fuck are you doing?" because there's no F-word in Japanese. "Why the fuck do you do this to me?" "I thought we will be working together and now after what you did to me, how do you think we can work together?" Mr. Yamaguchi replied in Japanese, "I really like you," "I want to take you to Washington as soon as possible. You've passed." Ms. Ito added in English, "Then why do you do this to me who you will work with? What will you do if I get pregnant or STD for unprotected sex?"

He apologized and said, "I'm sorry. I'll buy you pills at a pharmacy on the way to the airport," but she refused and got out of bed and picked up the clothes scattered around the room. The bra was on Mr. Yamaguchi's suitcase. While she was looking for panties, he said, "Let me keep your panties as a souvenir." It made her flopped down between the two beds. He said, "You looked like a competent woman, but now you're like a lost child, so cute."

Finally, he gave her panties back and she put on her clothes. For some reason, the blouse was so wet. When she asked him why, he handed her a T-shirt, saying, "Wear this." There was nothing else to wear so she wore it reflexively.
It was not until she came down to the lobby that she realized that it was the Sheraton Miyako Hotel. She was so embarrassed and confused that she could only hurry across the clean lobby.

Mr. Yamaguchi's Story

*Mr. Yamaguchi's claim includes direct sexual depiction. Readers discretion is advised.

Mr. Yamaguchi opened the room door and Ms. Ito entered the room first and vomited a small amount at the window, and it spattered over his suitcase which was placed on the floor. She said, "I'm sorry," and went to the bathroom, and didn't come out until after about 15 minutes. When he knocked on the door, she answered, "Yes," so he entered the bathroom, saying, "Are you all right? I'll open the door." She was sitting on the floor between the toilet and the bathtub, with considerable vomit from her neck to her slacks.

When Mr. Yamaguchi suggested Ms. Ito take off her blouse so that she could rest in bed, she began to take it off, so he helped her. He wiped off her vomit from her slacks and took her to bed, but he still smelled of vomit from her slacks, he suggested she take them off and helped her. After that, he put a sheet on her and she said "I'm sorry" and fell asleep.

Mr. Yamaguchi washed her blouse, hung it in the bathroom, and washed away the vomit in the bathroom. While packing in the room, he checked and replied to emails for more than an hour. After that, he laid down on top of the bedcover and took a nap in the empty space of the other bed.

Ms. Ito got up and went to the bathroom around 2-3 am on April 4. When she came back, she said, "I'm thirsty," and although he recommended the tea he had bought at a convenience store, she took out a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and drank it. After that, she knelt down beside the bed, in her underwear, where Mr. Yamaguchi was laying and began rubbing his right hand over and over again, saying, "I'm sorry I got drunk and vomited," and "Did I fail?"

He told her, "I'm glad you've gotten well," "You haven't caused me much trouble," and urged her to return to her bed so that the vomit on her hair would not touch his shirts on his bed, and because she was in her underwear. When he sat down on her bed to talk to her, she repeatedly apologized, rubbing his left hand.

When Ms. Ito rolled over, her hand touched Mr. Yamaguchi's left leg. This position continued for a while, and when her hand touched his left hand and he held back her hand, she didn't resist and the atmosphere became intimate. Mr. Yamaguchi laid down on Ms. Ito's bed and she did not reject these actions at all, and as she rolled over, she put her right thigh on his body, and this led to sexual activity.

Ms. Ito cooperated when he took off her camisole and underwear by raising her arms or waist. She also gave him oral sex because he could not get an erection. After he got a full erection, he said, "I'm going in," and inserted his penis into Ms. Ito's vagina while she had her legs open. Mr. Yamaguchi had no contraceptive device and Ms. Ito understood this. When he inserted the penis, she said, "Ow." When he asked, "Are you all right?" she said, "I'm all right. It's been a long time since I had sex." His penis softened in the middle because of alcohol consumption and stopped having sex without ejaculation.

They started talking lying down and she said, "I haven't had sex at all since last year." He asked, "Didn't any Italian man hit on you?" she said, "I was very busy studying in Italy." Mr. Yamaguchi's penis started to become erect again because he touched her body and she touched his penis, and he inserted his penis into her vagina again. However, when she said, "It still hurts a little," he felt sorry and stopped having sex. After a brief conversation, they fell asleep.

Mr. Yamaguchi woke up at five due to his cell-phone alarm. Ms. Ito came out of the shower and asked him if he could lend her something to wear because her blouse was half dry. He pointed to his luggage and said, "You can wear whatever you like," and she chose to wear a T-shirt. The two were getting dressed while chatting about their schedules for the day, then Ms. Ito said to herself in English, "I fucked without contraceptives." As she left the room, he was at the door and said, "See you later."

💡Excerpts from Noriyuki Yamaguchi support website "JUSTICE FOR NY"

Contradictions in Ms. Ito's claim

I read both sides' arguments, and I know others might have different opinions, but I don't see any major contradiction in Mr. Yamaguchi's story. If I have to choose, I don't understand how Mr. Yamaguchi could have sex with a woman who had vomited, with the vomit still on her hair, but I can't really comment on it because I don't understand the sexual desire of a man as a woman. 

On the other hand, Ms. Ito's argument has some major points of doubt.

(a) If his intention was to rape her while she was drugged and passed out, why would he risk her waking her by physically harming her and making her nipple bleed? 

(b) She says she saw her injured body (including a bleeding nipple) in the bathroom after waking up, opened the bathroom door thinking, "I have to escape", but it's seems very unusual to leave the bathroom NAKED, not even using a towel to cover her body, when she was fully aware that a rapist was right outside the door.

(c) She says Mr. Yamaguchi "grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her down to the bed," "her body and head were pressed against the bed forcefully," "she was almost suffocated, almost being killed." But frankly, he doesn't look that strong. The exact height of Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi is unknown, but from these pictures, I don't think there's much difference in height between them.

👆Mr. Yamaguchi has an average height and weight. He doesn't seem so strong.

👆Ms. Ito is skinny, but she looks taller than average.

Of course, even if he is not much taller, he must be stronger than her because he is a male. But he might have to be a little bigger to press her body and face against the bed that she almost suffocated, or to force open the knees of a woman who is resisting desperately.

(c) It's unnatural that Mr. Yamaguchi suddenly says, "You've passed." Passed what? It wasn't specifically mentioned that this dinner was an interview or exam, and if he meant, "you made me like you. = You've passed," he wouldn't have left her alone at the dinner talking to other customers. Why did she put this phrase in her story? Because she referred to the phrase in her own e-mail which I'll show you later. It wouldn't be consistent if she didn't claim that Mr. Yamaguchi had said it.

(d) Ms. Ito claims that she wore the T-shirt of the rapist reflexively because the blouse was wet and there was nothing else to wear. However, on the day, she wore a camisole under the blouse and a cardigan and coat with a sash belt. She had enough to cover herself even without the blouse. Also, the blouse she wore that night was made of thin polyester fabric, and if you wash it around 2-3 am, it will be half-dried at 6 am. Mr. Yamaguchi's story is also consistent in this regard.

(e) The logic of his actions are incompatible with the reality of the situation. "If" Mr. Yamaguchi had done everything the way she said, then it can be concluded with in reason that she was "not" his "first" victim. There have been NO other allegations of rape leveled against him in the past or since Ms. Ito went public. Rape is a serious offense that can deliver between 3 - 5 years in a Japanese prison. Which means that Mr. Yamaguchi stood to lose his career, that he devoted his adult life to establishing, his marriage and family, and last but not least his freedom. I highly doubt that a man venturing into his first attempt at rape, with so much to lose, would display such a cavalier attitude toward the situation caused by his actions or utter those strange comments about keeping her underwear as a "souvenir" and how she "looked like a lost child."  

05:51am 🔴Left the Sheraton Miyako Hotel

The footage of the security camera at that time was leaked.

When the video was leaked, Ms. Ito's support group "Open the Black Box" tweeted for them to delete it, and ironically admitted that the woman in the video was Ms. Ito herself. Ms. Ito insists that it's the hotel who prohibit her from opening the video to the public in order to protect guests' privacy and prevent damage to their reputation, but it's clear who really doesn't want to show the video to the public just by the fact that the criticism against her grew after this video was open.

Approx. 07:40am 🔵Checked out the Sheraton Miyako Hotel
Mr. Yamaguchi asked the front desk to keep the bag which Ms. Ito had brought mistakenly from another customer of Sushi Kiichi the night before (and also put some cookies for her which he bought as a souvenir for his acquaintance).

Approx. 08:00am 🔵Called Ms. Ito from a taxi
He said, "I think you've left your black bag in the hotel. I left it at the front desk, so please go pick it up." Ms. Ito's book also mentions that he called.

14:05pm 🔴Received morning-after pill prescription at Ihc Omotesando gynecology clinic

👆The clean and spacious waiting room of "Ihc Omotesando clinic". It's on the fourth floor of a building facing Omotesando street (one of the most expensive areas in Tokyo.)

💡Her book says, the clinic was full of appointments but she told the clinic it was an emergency. A female doctor, around 40 years old with short hair, was typing a prescription at the computer screen, and said without even looking up, "When did you fail?" If she had asked me, "What's the matter?", it would have been different.

I searched Ihc Omotesando clinic, and I found a female doctor named Miho Takao working there. It's highly possible that it was Dr. Takao who prescribed the pills for Ms. Ito because of her appearance (around 40 years old, short hair.)

I checked Dr. Takao's website and her Twitter, and I see how vigorously she works as a gynecologist, a sports doctor, and a maternal yoga instructor. She doesn't look like a cold doctor who prescribes emergency pills without even looking at the patient's face as Ms. Ito wrote.
The medical records of Ihc Omotesando clinic say, "coitus (sexual intercourse) around 2-3 am, the condom got broken." At the trial, Ms. Ito claimed she hadn't said that to the doctor, and that she answered she'd had sexual intercourse early in the morning. According to the reviews on the Internet, the doctors in Ihc Omotesando are very kind and they explain things very well. Would a doctor write such information in medical records on emergency pill prescriptions where the time of sexual intercourse is very important? Also, 2-3 am matches exactly the time of sexual intercourse in Mr. Yamaguchi's claim.

Of course, Ms. Ito says that she never said the condom had gotten broken. However, looking at her words and deeds, I can see that she is a person who easily lies for her convenience. She omits the parts that aren't convenient for her in the book, and she also lies in the un-edited emails which I'll show you later. It's not so hard to imagine that she lied that the condom had gotten broken because she didn't want the doctor to think she was a kind of woman who would have unprotected sex.

🔴After visiting Ihc Omotesando clinic, she went to a Hawaiian cafe with her sister and then took a nap while her sister did her homework in her room. That night, she went to a cherry blossom party with her friends. Later, her sister joined, they went home before midnight.

Apr-05 (Sun)

14:19pm 🔴Message to S, a nurse and a childhood friend, via LINE
Ms. Ito: "Hi, xx. I'd like to talk to you about something. I wonder if I can see you."

Her book says, she thought of Date Rape Drug (DRD) when she was thinking alone. She looked it up online, and the symptoms matched her own. She sent a message via LINE to S, a nurse, out of uncontrollable anxiety.

In the afternoon 🔴She told her best friend K, "Don't worry, I'll be there at the dinner party."
She had already promised K about the dinner from before, so she was receiving many calls and texts from K during and after the incident.

At night 🔴Dinner with a close friend K and K's family
K had big news for her family. The restaurant was on the second floor, and Ms. Ito couldn't go down the stairs easily because of her knee pain. She stayed at K's family's house near the restaurant that day.

Apr-06 (Mon)

11:26am The nurse friend S replied via LINE.
"Sorry about yesterday~! What's up? (Omission) Of course I can see you~! Are you at work? Text me when you can~or you can call me too!"

Visited Motoya Orthopedic Surgery

K recommended Ms. Ito to visit Motoya orthopedic surgery in the neighborhood. She couldn't say she was raped by an acquaintance, so she said, "I was in a weird position at work. Maybe it's because I used to play basketball in the past." The doctor said, "Your knee is dislocated because of a severe impact. It's hard to do an operation, it takes a long time to heal." She spent the next few months wearing a brace.

💡The medical certificate says, "Internal injury and contusion on the right knee," and she explained to the doctor that she had been sitting in a weird position on March 31 (and got hurt)." She could lie about the reason, but there's no reason to lie about the date of the injury.

After that, she told K about the results of the diagnosis. She couldn't bring up the (rape) story in front of K and her family who seemed happy for the news they heard at the dinner the previous day.

Messaging via LINE with a childhood/nurse friend S

Ms. Ito's book says that she met her nurse friend S on April 6th and told her about the incident for the first time. However, it was actually April 7th, the next day, that she met with S. Actually on April 6th Ms. Ito sent an "Otsukaresama desu (Thank you for your hard work)" email to Mr. Yamaguchi that she told S about the incident.

💡You can check easily the dates if you don't remember well, as both LINE and emails record time and date...I'm not sure why the dates are swapped in "Black Box".

18:21pm 🔴Sent LINE: "Can I see you tomorrow!?"

19:54pm Reply from S: "I'm ok with today or tomorrow~ we'll meet in the evening after your work, right?"

21:10pm 🔴Sent LINE: "I'm off work tomorrow~!"

Time unknown Reply from S: "Oh, yeah! I was going to go see furniture and home appliances tomorrow in the daytime. Do you want to come with me? Lol If it's nighttime, you wanna go out~?♪ What about meal..." [cut off in the middle, the rest unknown]

Sent "Thank you for your hard work" email to Mr. Yamaguchi

That night at 23:01, about three days after the incident occurred, Ms. Ito sent an e-mail to Mr. Yamaguchi.

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Otsukaresama desu (Thank you for your hard work). Did you return to Washington safely?
What actions are you considering about the VISA? I'd appreciate it if you could tell me about your plan.
23:01pm

💡In the book, she says that she wanted to forget, and if she acted as if she had forgotten, she thought everything might be back to normal. But the highlighted purple part of the email is, again, omitted. Did she think it would look bad to say "Thank you for your hard work" to the man who she claims to have raped her?

At the trial, Ms. Ito's lawyers tried to justify this email, saying, "Many sexual victims take a compliant stance to the assailants so as not to worsen their relationships." But the email basically saying that "I want you to tell me what you will do about my VISA as soon as possible." It's not really compliant, it's rather demanding.

In the next post, we'll continue to examine Ms. Ito's actions after the incident.

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

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2015] April 3

The day of April 3, 2015, when the incident occurred. The sources are colored as followed:
Her book "Black Box"➡　
Media coverage➡　
Court documents➡　
My comments will be indicated by 💡. actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, and actions of Mr. Yamaguchi by 🔵.

Apr-03(Fri)

🔴Went to Yasukuni Shrine from 8 am for the coverage of “Honozumo” (Ceremonial Sumo Tournament)
The conversation before the meeting that day was omitted from her book.

You're working afternoon today, I guess. What time will you be able to come to Ebisu?
13:29

Otsukaresama desu. At Ebisu, I will definitely be there by 8:00! Best regards!
16:26

Otsukaresama desu!
I just finished my work! It's earlier than I expected so please let me know when the meeting time in Ebisu is decided!
My mobile number is xxx!
18:41

🔴After returning to Reuters to put the equipment down, she went back to her apartment in Harajuku to change clothes because she was covered in sand.

💡In her book, not only does she omit that she returned home to change clothes, but she also writes, the work was prolonged so she got to the station an hour late after the meeting time. Although she wrote in the email that she had finished work earlier than she expected, and she actually went home first. Did she want to hide that she had changed clothes at home? I can't think of any other reason.

Please text me when you get to Ebisu.
18:52

Please text me when you get to Ebisu. I'll be there before 8 but take your time, no hurries.
18:54

🔵He went to a Kushiyaki (skewers) bar "Toyokatsu" first and was eating alone.

Around 20:00 🔵🔴Met up at Ebisu Station and moved to "Toyokatsu" (3 min walk)

At "Toyokatsu"

"Toyokatsu" is a popular Kushiyaki (skewers) bar with about 20 seats on the counter that surrounds the kitchen. Right after the end of WWII, in Ebisu, where the area was still heavily damaged, Katsuko Nagashima, the mother of the current owner, started a restaurant in a wooden store with her husband, Toyosaku. The name "Toyokatsu" is a combination of their names.

👇Now her son Taichi and his wife manage the bar.

👇Toyokatsu's 1800ml bottle of wine

Since Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi's claims differ little by little from here about what they ate and drank in "Toyokatsu," I'll cite each of their claims. ( Ms. Ito's version 🔴 and Mr. Yamaguchi's version🔵)

🔴Five skewers, tripe stew, and pounded Cucumbers. Two beers and one or two small glasses of wine. We talked about the political department in the Washington bureau (in which she wasn't interested.) No mention of the visa. We stayed for about an hour and a half. [from Black Box]

When they left the bar, Ms. Ito was not drunk because she left her coat in the bar and went back to pick it up.

🔵The bar owner says Ms. Ito drank at least two draft beers, a glass of Shiso herb alcohol soda, and several glasses of wine. They stayed for 30-40 min. The owner remembers Ms. Ito talking about her visa because her persistent self-promotion was impressive. Mr. Yamaguchi, leaving her alone who couldn't hold a conversation, talked to a hairstylist customer on his left. Meanwhile, she continued to drink the wine filling her own glasses. (by Eitaro Ogawa, a fellow journalist of Mr. Yamaguchi who did his own investigation on this case) [source]

Ms. Ito drinks at a very fast pace, she was drinking very strong alcohol like a gulp. When I asked, "Are you okay?", she said, "I'm thirsty. I can drink a lot, so I'm fine," and then continued to drink at a high pace. (by Mr. Yamaguchi) [source]

💡The members of "JUSTICE FOR NY" visited "Toyokatsu" and interviewed the owners. They welcomed the members happily knowing that they were supporting Mr. Yamaguchi, and one of the owners, the wife, voluntarily started talking about how it was on the day.

According to the owner's testimony, Ms. Ito said when she arrived at the bar, "I was late because I was taking a shower." "But I came in a hurry and sweated again." She also enthusiastically appealed, "I'd appreciate it if you could consider my application," and they were talking about her visa. The owner, who has a daughter of the same age as Ms. Ito, felt uncomfortable to see Ms. Ito asking for work while being amorous toward Mr. Yamaguchi while drinking.

They gave the rest of the wine to the neighbor guests and left the bar. The second restaurant, Sushi Kiichi, is a 5-6 min walk.

At "Sushi Kiichi"

"Sushi Kiichi" is also an 11-seat small but bright restaurant with an open counter where customers sit face-to-face with the sushi chefs. Of note, is the fact that Kiichi has a private room for 2-6 people, but Mr. Yamaguchi reserved seats at the counter.

👇Tetsuo Endo, the owner-chef of "Sushi Kiichi"

🔴We sat in the back seats at the counter and I had two glasses of Japanese sake. We only ordered some side dishes and no sushi. No mention of the visa. I heard Mr. Yamaguchi and the owner-chef talked about the article of Weekly Bunshun. I went to the bathroom after the second glass, came back and started feeling strange drinking the third glass, and went to the bathroom again. My head went blank and I sat on the toilet bowl with the lid on, resting my head on the water tank. I don't remember from there. [from Black Box]

According to the police investigation, Mr. Yamaguchi and I had 7-8 glasses of sake with only simple side dishes and a sushi roll. I sat down on the other customer's chairs and began to talk to them, walking barefoot in the restaurant. [from Black Box]

🔵According to the owner, Mr. Yamaguchi and Ms. Ito had about 10 glasses (1800ml) in total. Ms. Ito repeatedly ordered cold sake and filled her own glass and drank it. She must have had 6 -7 glasses.

She got drunk and took off her high heels, walked around the restaurant barefoot, and barged into the seats of other customers to chat cheerfully. Such heavy drinking and intoxicated female customers are rare in the restaurant so she left a strong impression on the owner. Meanwhile, Mr. Yamaguchi chatted with Sakana-kun (a fish expert and TV figure well-known for his blowfish-shaped cap), a regular customer of the restaurant, who happened to be sitting next to him. 

Ms. Ito went to the bathroom and didn't come out for about 15 minutes. When staff opened it, she collapsed from the toilet and slept in an unnatural posture. When she returned to her seat with the help of staff, she ordered sake again and filled her own glass, and began to drink it. (by Ogawa) [source]

💡Both shops say Ms. Ito was drinking a lot filling her own cup, which contradicts her claim. They wouldn't have remembered her filling her own glass If she hadn't drunk so fast and so many glasses.

If you assume her claim is true, that means both owners of "Kiichi" and "Toyokatsu" are lying. What would they get from lying?

As I explained earlier, "Toyokatsu" is a bar that has more than 70 years of history since the end of the war when Katsuko and Toyosaku started. It must be not easy to run a restaurant bar for 70 years in a location only 3 minutes walk from Ebisu Station. You can know more about Toyokatsu from this link (It's in Japanese so use Google translate.)

From the website of "Sushi Kiichi", you can also feel the passion and character of the owner of the restaurant, Endo. He was born as a son of a fish dealer, he founded "Kiichi" 35 years ago after training Edo-mae sushi. I have visited their site several times to write this blog, but every time it makes my mouth water, it makes me want to close the tab right away (Kidding. I'd love to go there someday.)

Sakana-kun is a famous Japanese TV personality as a fish expert. I guess he really is a regular customer there, he appears in a video I found on their website.

If the owners had given false testimonies, it should be because Mr. Yamaguchi had asked them to do so. But, that'd be like confessing his crime to the owners. That's too risky. They would have to have an unbelievably strong and trusting relationship for him to be able to say, "I am a man who rapes women by putting them on drugs. Please be involved by concealing these crimes." the owners of these deep-rooted locally historical establishments would never accept this because of the risk it would bring to their businesses, as well as the lack of morality involved in these alleged crimes.

Took a taxi to Sheraton Miyako Hotel 

🔵They left Kiichi at about 22:30 - 23 pm. Ito's walk was unsteady. She took out her own shoulder bag and another customers' bag from the shelf on the left side of the entrance. Since Mr. Yamaguchi was the chief of the Washington bureau, he had to complete several tasks (checking emails, research, and contact via his computer) by around 23 pm. He thought it would take too much time if he sent her to Kanagawa Prefecture (as indicated on her resume). (by Ogawa) [source]

🔴Ms. Ito said, "Please go to the nearest station," so the taxi headed for Meguro Station. They were talking about their work in the back seat. On the way, she again said, "Please go to Meguro Station," and when the taxi got near Meguro Station, Mr. Yamaguchi said, "Go to the Miyako Hotel." Ms. Ito said, "Please get me off at the station before that," but he told her, "We still have to talk about work, I won't do anything." When they arrived at the hotel, Ms. Ito had difficulty getting off, so Mr. Yamaguchi pulled her down in a way that seemed like she was being dragged out, and they entered the hotel almost like he was carrying her. I smelled something bad, so I looked at the back seat and found vomit underneath. [taxi driver's testimony]

🔵I don't remember when Ms. Ito threw up in the taxi. She was certainly very drunk, and I was worried if she would do something unnatural. I couldn't let her off at the station because I thought there was a risk of suffocation in vomiting. She was drunk but conscious because she said sorry and cleaning her vomit with her hand. I couldn't come up with the idea of letting her stay in another room. (by Mr. Yamaguchi)

🔴After getting out of the taxi, Mr. Yamaguchi dragged me out and carried me who was unable to walk. In the video of crossing the hotel lobby, I was not grounded, leaning forward, and dragged powerlessly towards the elevators. [from Black Box]

🔴Inside the taxi, Ms. Ito was repeating like a child, "I clean, I clean, because I made a mess, I make it clean," When Mr. Yamaguchi was getting her out of the door, she was still saying, "I gotta clean, I gotta clean," but he grabbed her arm and said, "It's fine." Her feet were unsteady, she couldn't walk by herself. She's completely drunk, wasted, and in a state of half-awake. She was dragged to the hotel entrance while still repeating, "I gotta clean, I gotta clean," and she said like a crying baby, "Waaaa." [Hotel doorman's testimony]

💡The taxi driver's testimony confirmed that she was able to have a normal conversation in the taxi. However, her book describes on their arrival at the hotel, "dragged me out and carried me," "(I was) dragged powerlessly" as if she had suddenly fallen into a coma. But then again, in the doorman's testimony that Ms. Ito approves, Ms. Ito said, "I gotta clean," "I make it clean," apparently not in a coma.

Also, the taxi driver's testimony does not contain such utterances, and if he heard her saying, "I made a mess," he'd have immediately checked the backseat. However, the taxi driver testified he had noticed the vomit a while after the two had gotten off, which is also contradictory.

Security camera footage of entering the hotel

As is well known, the security camera footage of the two arriving at the hotel is not open to the public at the request of the Sheraton Hotel (according to Ms. Ito's claim). It is a mysterious video in which Ms. Ito claims, "I was not grounded and dragged powerlessly," and Mr. Yamaguchi claims, "she was conscious and walking on her feet."

In addition, Mr. Yamaguchi has been demanding the security camera footage be open to the public, and Ms. Ito also says, "I also want everyone to see it," but Ms. Ito's attorneys sent a notice letter to Mr. Yamaguchi and his attorney urging him not to disclose it. You can almost tell who's lying by looking at this, but it's only natural for a human being to want to see the original video when there's such conflicting views about the same footage.

In fact, however, it is available to see as a court document at the Tokyo District Court. On "Justice for NY," a support website for Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a detailed report who's watched the footage of entering the Sheraton Hotel is posted. (So far in Japanese, English translation coming soon)

It has the reports and claims of witnesses who watched the video such as Ms. Ito herself, Ms. Ito's friend, and Mr. Yamaguchi's lawyer, etc and compares them with their impressions from watching the actual footage. It's well written and very organized, so please take a look.

In the next post, we'll go through what happened inside the hotel room.

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

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2015-before the incident]

I am now going to explain what happened in 2015 when the incident occurred in chronological order. There is so much content in 2015, I have decided to divide it into multiple posts. The sources are colored as follows:
Her book "Black Box"➡　
Media coverage➡　
Posts on social media➡　
Court documents➡　
My comments will be indicated by 💡. the actions of Ms. Ito by 🔴, and the actions of Mr. Yamaguchi with 🔵.

2015 (Age 26)

I have already stated in my previous post that Ms. Ito returned to Japan at the end of December without graduating from a college in New York probably because her student visa was expiring. Several photos of Ms. Ito before she started working as an intern at Reuters in February have been posted on her friends' social media.

Jan-04,05: 🔴Ski trip with friends

Around Jan-20: 🔴Party with several friends

👆The caption says, "Shiori's moved back from NY!"

At a dinner with Mr. Yamaguchi, she allegedly said, "If it's wine, I can drink quite a lot." She surely seems to like wine.

February: 🔴Started an internship at Reuters

She worked as an unpaid intern at Reuters Tokyo for two months. [source]

Mar-03: 🔴Published an article on Reuters about LGBT Equality (as an additional reporter)

Mar-25 (Wed): 🔴Sent an email to Mr. Yamaguchi

Her book says, she finished her internship and signed a freelance contract with Reuters headquarters in Singapore. However, her parents opposed and asked her to be employed by a company and work for at least two years. So she decided to ask for an internship at the TBS Washington bureau first and then to aim for being hired locally, in order to reassure her parents and to work in the environment that suited her at the same time.

💡She was only able to sign up as a freelancer at Reuters after working as an intern. That's the reality her parents must have been worried about, but going to the U.S. and starting over as an intern at the TBS Washington bureau and aiming to be hired locally? It'd make the parents even more worried. And what about money? Had she saved enough money to immigrate to the US for just three months while still working as an intern?

At that time, she also received an offer from CNN Tokyo for internships. In an interview with BBC radio in October 2018, she said, "I wasn't sure if I wanted to work in Japanese media but I was interested in working outside of Japan or foreign media in Japan." So it's highly possible that she emailed Mr. Yamaguchi just wanting to work in the US, not to reassure her parents.

She emailed Mr. Yamaguchi after six months from the last contact, remembering his words, "If it's in the TBS Washington bureau, you can work as an intern whenever you want."

Mr. Yamaguchi,
It's been a while. How are you? Thank you for introducing me to Nippon TV for the intern job last year.
In parallel with my last push at school, I was able to cultivate a very valuable experience.

I am currently an intern in the TV news department at Reuters in Tokyo. I also received an offer from CNN Tokyo for an internship. My experience in New York is helping me a lot. Again, thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

I remember you once told me I could work as an intern at the Washington bureau whenever I wanted. Is it still valid? Lol

I am currently hunting for a job seriously. If there are any available positions, it'd be nice if you could let me know. It would be great if we could meet when you're back in Tokyo.

Shiori Ito

💡The words highlighted in purple are omitted in her book "Black Box." Not only did she omit the fact that she suggested the meeting in Tokyo first, but she also did not mention that the email shown in the book was a partially edited version. Isn't this a malicious attempt to manipulate the impressions of the readers? From now on, parts of emails omitted from Ms. Ito's book will be highlighted in purple.

Mr. Yamaguchi replied immediately on that day.

Ms. Ito,
As an intern, you'll be hired right away. Even as a producer (paid), If you are serious, I will seriously consider it. Please let me know!
19:25pm (06:25am in EDT)

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Thank you for your prompt reply! I'm serious! I would like to apply for a position as a producer. Would you please consider it?
Thank you in advance!

Shiori,
I guess you're serious. Then I'll seriously consider it.
Please write your resume in Japanese and send it by PDF or fax. And, do you have a visa?

When it comes to a new producer, I have to get permission from TBS International Head Office about hiring and conditions. This will take a considerable amount of time.

Or you can come here first and sign up as a freelancer, work for a while and then aim for full-time employment. Doing it this way, I can give permission.

Let me think about what I can do.
22:17pm (09:17am in EDT)

Mar-26(Thu): 🔵"Weekly Bunshun" magazine that published an article about South Korean comfort women centers during the Vietnam War written by Mr. Yamaguchi was released. The views he expressed in this article are considered by most media outlets as politically right-of-center.

Mar-27(Fri):

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Otsukare sama desu. I am attaching my resume in Japanese, please consider it.
Shiori Ito
20:17pm (07:17am in EDT)

💡On the resume which Ms. Ito sent to Mr. Yamaguchi at this time, she wrote, "If I can do a job related to the news, I don't mind any type of employment, the start time, or the period of work." In other words, Ms. Ito wrote herself, "It doesn't matter whether the job is a producer or an intern." Nevertheless, she skillfully edits her email partially in the book and makes it seem as if Mr. Yamaguchi is talking about hiring her as a producer.

Mar-28(Sat):

Ms. Ito,
I received your resume. Thank you. The biggest problem is the visa. We can also support you with TBS, so we will consider it.
By the way, I'm going back to Japan temporarily to go on an errand. Will you be in Tokyo next week?
17:31pm (04:31am in EDT)

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Thank you for your reply. I know the VISA is the difficult part to deal with. It'd be great if you could consider it.
Yes, I'll be in Tokyo next week! I'm sure you'll be busy since it's a temporary stay. If you have time, I'd love to see you!
21:44pm (08:44am in EDT)

Mar-29(Sun):

Ms. Shiori,
I checked a bit, and the company has supported hiring some staff members in the branch office before.
Is there a free night in the latter half of next week?
14:26pm (01:26am in EDT)

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Thank you for checking. I'm glad I can have some hope!
I'm available those nights! It'd be great if you could tell me a convenient date for you.
23:29pm (10:29am in EDT)

Mar-30(Mon):

All right. Then can you keep Friday open for me? I'll buy you dinner.
01:31am (12:31pm the day before in EDT)

Mr. Yamaguchi,
All right! I'll leave it open on April 3! Please let me know when you decide the time.
09:52am (20:52pm the day before in EDT)

🔵Mr. Yamaguchi returned to Japan for the inquiry at TBS on the contribution to "Weekly Bunshun."

Apr-01(Wed):

Ms. Shiori,
I think it will be around 7 pm on Friday. Is there anything you can't eat?
Also, please read the article that I contributed in the Weekly Bunshun that's on sale now. I will contact you again.
16:54pm

Mr. Yamaguchi,
7pm on Friday. Got it. I can eat anything :)
In Weekly Bunshun!? Yes! I'll definitely read it! I'm looking forward to seeing you on Friday then.
21:58pm

💡In her book, Ms. Ito says that she was surprised to see Mr. Yamaguchi alone when they met on April 3 because she had expected other people from TBS to be with him based on the past patterns and the purpose of the meeting. However, in the omitted emails, she said, "It would be great if we could meet when you're back in Tokyo,"and "I'm sure you'll be busy since it's a temporary stay. If you have time, I'd love to see you!" It's hard to believe that she didn't expect to see him alone.

🔴 Published an article on Reuters about lonely death (as an additional reporter)

💡This article is the basis of the documentary "Lonely Death" that Ms. Ito made later with Nicholas Almark. The author is Chris Meyers of Reuters, and Ms. Ito is credited for additional reporting, while Toru Hanai took the photos. When the documentary "Lonely Death" was broadcasted in 2017, Mr. Hanai commented on Ms. Ito's Facebook, "Chris must be proud of you!" (Chris Meyers passed away on August 1st, 2016 after a long battle with an illness.)

👆Hanai: "This is great. Chris must be proud of you!"
Shiori Ito: "Thank you, Mr. Hanai! It took a long time, but it finally took shape :) I remember interviewing with you and Chris just like yesterday."

Apr-02(Thu):

🔴Published an article on Ariana Miyamoto (co-writing with Elaine Lies)

In the next post, we'll move on to April 3rd, the day of the incident.

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

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [2013-2014]

Ms. Ito's life from 2013 when she first met Mr. Yamaguchi to 2014 when she returned to Tokyo. The sources are colored as followed:
Her book "Black Box"➡　
Media coverage➡　
Posts on social media➡　
Court documents➡　
My comments will be indicated by 💡.

2013 (Age 24)

January: Entered M College in Manhattan

Majoring Photography and Journalism (Written in Ms. Ito's resume)

💡M College is a private liberal arts college in New York. This is a photo of her on the college's website.

March: Traveled to Puerto Rico

According to the blog that Ms. Ito started writing in April 2013, she traveled to Puerto Rico during the spring vacation at the end of March. In addition, in the same post, she says:

I came back, and I opened my Facebook page...
What's going on? The profile pics of my friends are all ===!
I asked Mr. rent-free lodger, he says he doesn't know.

According to her book, she moved to New York and lived with her partner who she had been in a long-distance relationship at the time. So who is this "Mr. rent-free lodger?" Did she live with another friend besides her boyfriend? Or was her boyfriend "Mr. rent-free lodger?"

December: Met Noriyuki Yamaguchi at the piano bar

Her book says, they met in a piano bar in NY where Ms. Ito was working at that time. Piano bars in NY are actually hostess clubs for mainly Japanese businessmen. I've got another tip-off. The piano bar Ms. Ito was working in was "Club Gxx", it's famous for having beautiful girls and all rooms are private rooms with karaoke.

Ms. Ito's book, and Mr. Yamaguchi's claim published in the magazine "Monthly Hanada", both say they met in September at a piano bar where Ms. Ito worked, but the history of their messages in the court documents shows that they actually met on the night of Dec. 10. Below is the conversation between the two the next day, on the 11th.

Ms. Ito, thank you for yesterday. Are you free at around 2 today? [email]

This is Yamaguchi from TBS. Thank you for yesterday.
Are you free around 2pm today? [LINE]

Thank you very much for yesterday. Yes, I'm free at 2 o'clock! Where should I head for? [LINE]

It's called the CBS Broadcast Center. I'll send you the address later. [LINE]

Thank you. See you later then! [LINE]

524 W57th St between10th and 11th Avenues, correct? [LINE]

Yes, but I'm going to have lunch with the New York Bureau chief from now, so can we meet up there? [LINE]

Yes, I'm in Columbus Circle now, so please let me know where and I'll go. [LINE]

"Katsuhama" between 5 and 6 on 55th. It's kinda awkward to say we met at the bar yesterday, so I'll tell the NY bureau chief that we've met through Mr. Noda, the baldy guy who was with us yesterday. [LINE]

Yes, I appreciate it. Can I come now? [LINE]

We'll be waiting. [LINE]

Her book says, Ms. Ito met Mr. Yamaguchi at a piano bar in September and received a business card. He said, "If there's a chance, I'll show you around the New York bureau, so please email me." Later, Mr. Yamaguchi visited New York again before the fall was over and asked her, "I'm having lunch with the New York bureau chief. Would you like to come?"

In reality, although Mr. Yamaguchi did text her the day after they exchanged contacts in December, it is clear from the messages that they had already arranged to meet the next day. In the book, he seems to be actively inviting her after meeting Ms. Ito at the piano bar. But looking at the actual conversation, it doesn't give me such an impression, it seems rather like he already had promised to introduce her to the NY bureau chief the day before.

As per her book, when Ms. Ito arrived, Mr. Yamaguchi and the chief of the NY bureau of TBS were almost done eating, so they just ate the dessert together. Mr. Yamaguchi accompanied to the NY bureau office, greeted the staff there and left. Then the NY bureau chief guided her inside.

Would Mr. Yamaguchi just leave Ms. Ito with the chief of the NY bureau and go if he had actively invited her? Wasn't it Ms. Ito who had actively asked Mr. Yamaguchi to introduce her to the NY bureau chief in the conversation the previous day?

That night, Ms. Ito sent an appreciation email to Mr. Yamaguchi.

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Thank you so much for today despite your busy schedule!
I hope this luck will be fulfilled in the near future
I'll do my best until I come back to New York.
It's getting colder and colder, please take care of yourself!
Shiori Ito [email] Dec-12 00:26

After that, Ms. Ito went to Florence, Italy to study. On Dec.19 or 20, Mr. Yamaguchi sent her these messages.

When will you leave for Florence? [email]

Have you already left for Florence? [LINE]

But Ms. Ito did not reply.

Working in a piano bar

Is it possible to work in a piano bar while living in the US as a student in the first place? In Ms. Ito's case, the answer is "100 percent NO."

To go to the college where Ms. Ito entered, you need an "F-1" student visa, which allows you to work part-time on-campus up to 20 hours a week. The three conditions you can work part-time outside the campus are:
(a) Curricular Practical Training
(b) Optional Practical Training
(C) Unavoidable employment due to economic reasons

(a) and (b) must be related to the field you majored in, and you must have the permit issued by the college, so working at a piano bar is not an option. And (c), since it is necessary to prove that there is sufficient financial support to complete the entire course in order for a visa to be issued, one cannot obtain a work permit for economic reasons unless one is in an extreme situation. Ms. Ito says in the book that she won a scholarship abroad, so there's no way she could get a work permit for economic reasons.

As I mentioned earlier, piano bars in NY are, in fact, hostess clubs. I searched on the Internet, and they say, "It's a popular part-time job for many female students," "students who are running low, actors or dancers who
are here to follow their dreams are working." You can see many young Japanese girls are working illegally without feeling guilty (Of course, the clubs that hire them are also the problem.)

I also found comments like, "you can date and even end up marrying to resident employees or celebrities," or "some people work there because they can meet VIP who you wouldn't meet in Japan" which sounds just like the meeting of Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi.

Many young people do it because others do it too, but it is an illegal act. If you get caught, you will be deported and then denied entry for many years. In the book, Ms. Ito describes such an illegal act as if it was nothing. But Ms. Ito now gives lectures at universities or other places, makes a video about "sexual consent" that’s easy to understand even for children, and actively appeals to young people. It's dangerous that Ms. Ito speaks or behaves in ways that make "illegally working" look okay. I hope she'll reflect on her past and inform young people studying abroad to the risk of "illegal working."

2014 (Age 25)

January: Departed for Florence, Italy to study for six months

Jan-08: Posted on Facebook about the trip via Poland

Jan-18: Posted a photo of the trip to Iceland on Instagram

Apr-06: Posted a photo of French bulldogs in Pisa, Italy on Instagram

In the book, she says she decided to go to Florence where the tuition and living expenses were relatively low because things were tight in New York and she had used up all her savings. However, posts on SNS show that Ms. Ito traveled at least to Iceland, Pisa in Italy, and Morocco during her stay in Florence.

Ms. Ito moved from Japan to Germany, to Barcelona, to Moscow, to New York, and to Florence, almost once a year. Repeated short-term stays, as well as travel expenses, should be rather costly. She also traveled here and there, after moving to Italy, where she allegedly moved for financial reasons. It's the same question as in the previous post but, how did she get the money? Also, was it really for financial reasons that she decided to study in Italy for six months?

Aug-27: The email sent from Ms. Ito to Mr. Yamaguchi

Her book says, she returned to New York at the end of summer. Just before that, she broke up with her boyfriend who had to move internationally every two years for work because of differences of opinion about the future.

She started looking for an internship before graduating from college, and one of the media people whom she sent emails to was Mr. Yamaguchi. It was about 9 months after the last contact.

Mr. Yamaguchi, it's been a while.
Last year you took me to the New York bureau last year. It's Shiori Ito, aspiring to be a journalist. I've finished the semester in Florence, my long summer vacation is over, and this weekend I'm going back to New York. I am writing to you that I would like to work as an intern at the NY bureau of TBS during this last semester. Could you please consider and help me? Thank you. [Aug-27 06:??]

Welcome home, Ms. Ito! How was Florence?
I'll ask about the internship. How many times a week do you think you can work? [Sep-01 13:49]

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Florence is a great city and I've learned a lot from the Renaissance masters!
Thank you! I'll be able to work three or four times a week. If it's necessary for an intern to work more than that, I will adjust it. Thank you in advance. [Sep-01 16:00]

Mr. Yamaguchi,
I'm sorry to email you so often. Regarding the internship, I would appreciate it if you could interview me this week if there's a possibility for me to be hired as an intern. Thank you in advance. [Sep-03 14:44]

Ms. Shiori,
In conclusion, the NY bureau of TBS is currently not recruiting interns. But I know the chiefs of the NY bureau of Nippon TV and Fuji TV too, so I'm asking if they are recruiting interns. I will let you know the conclusion as soon as possible, so please wait for a while. [Sep-03 15:35]

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Thank you very much. I'm so grateful that I don't know how to say thank you. I'm sorry to push you while you're busy. Thank you! [Sep-03 22:28]

Shiori,
My acquaintance, the NY bureau chief of Nippon TV, said he would very much like to consider hiring an intern. You can get in touch with him. Before that, I'd like to talk to you. Can you give me a cell-phone number that works? [Sep-04 15:08]

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Thank you! My phone number is xxx. I'll be waiting! [Sep-04 16:08]

Shiori,
I called, but it didn't connect, so I'll send you the contact information of the bureau chief of NTV. Since I talked to him earlier and asked directly, I think it's faster if you say Yamaguchi introduced you. [Sep-04 16:37]

Mr. Yamaguchi,
I got a call from xx of NTV just now and he told me I was hired!! Thank you so so much! I'll do my best as an intern. I would be happy to meet you next time you are in New York. I'll never forget this kindness!! Thank you! [Sep-05 17:13]

Shiori,
That's great! Well, if I introduce someone as nice as you and if they don't hire you, I won't be quiet. I'll be there in mid-September for the coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, so let's have dinner if there's a chance. See you. [Sep-05 18:25]

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Thank you! What a great Mr. Yamaguchi power. I really appreciate it.
I'm sure you're busy, but I'm looking forward to seeing you next time! [Sep-06 09:45]

Later in September, Mr. Yamaguchi came to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. In the book, she says that Mr. Yamaguchi invited her to a meeting with the U.N. ambassador and celebrities when he found out that she was there too. But in fact, Ms. Ito contacted Mr. Yamaguchi first.

Mr. Yamaguchi,
Otsukare sama desu!* We're right in the middle of the U.N. General Assembly. I'm also in Japan Press all day today as an intern. I wondered if you were here, but I couldn't find you...Mr. xx has been really nice to me. I'm learning a lot since he teaches me so many things. Thank you so much, Mr. Yamaguchi! Good luck with your work! [Sep-23 14:53]

*Otsukare sama desu is a Japanese expression to show your appreciation for a colleague's or boss's hard work. The closest English translation would be “thank you for your hard work” or “good work”, but it's often used instead of "hello" or "goodbye" in work-related situations.

👇As a reply to Ms. Ito's email sent on Sep-26 17:05 (contents unknown)

We're going to have a drink with the U.N. ambassador and Ms. Junko Koshino tonight, you wanna join? [Sep-26 17:10]

I want to!! I have a guest coming from Japan tonight, but I'll adjust the time! Please text me when you know the approximate time and place. My phone number is xxx. [Sep-26 18:49]

I just said good night to Ms. Junko Koshino. I was with xx from NTV. I'll come back next month, so I'll introduce you to the U.N. ambassador then. [Sep-27 00:40]

End of December: Returned to Japan

Ms. Ito, who was working as an intern for NTV, returned to Japan at the end of December. It's probably because her student visa was expiring.

The photos that were posted on social media show how she spent time with her friends in New York before she returned to Japan. As explained in "Introduction", in this blog, we're on the assumption that she had filed a false accusation. Since I think it's important to know her personality and real nature to search for her motivations, I'll repost the photos of her that were public on SNS after modifying them as much as possible.

👇This was taken in 2013.

💡She did NOT graduate from college in New York

The resume Ms. Ito submitted to Mr. Yamaguchi says, "Expected to graduate from M College in May 2015." So she didn't graduate from college after all. The submission date of her resume is March 27, 2015, I wonder if she was planning to graduate after going to New York with a working visa. Or did she write it just to make her resume look better without wanting to graduate?

At any rate, this shows that Ms. Ito's academic history is an associate degree. Unless you have specialized skills or qualifications, it will be difficult for her to obtain a working visa in a developed country with her academic background.

Even before seeing the court documents, I thought she might not have graduated from a college in New York. In her book, she didn't say a word of "graduated (from college)." Although she doesn't write clearly "graduated," she repeats, "just before graduation in the following year," "the year I was supposed to graduate," "I was about to graduate," and "just before graduation"...it makes you think she must have graduated if you don't read the book carefully.

She is the type of person who writes in her book that she has "mastered Spanish," but obviously it does not even reach the level of daily conversation (I'll explain this later.) If she had graduated, she definitely would have written: "graduated."

One of the reasons why she has kept all the details of her academic background secret, including the junior college in Japan, can be that she dropped out of her college in New York. If you only read her book, she seems to have a glamorous academic history majoring in international relations, journalism and photography at universities in Germany, Barcelona, New York, and Italy. If that's true, however, there is no reason to keep information private, such as the names of the schools.

Also, I think many people read her book and think she graduated from an American university. In some foreign media articles, she was introduced as "graduated from a university in America." Even Jake Adelstein, an American journalist living in Japan and also a huge supporter of Ms. Ito that he appeared in the BBC documentary about Ms. Ito, wrote that Ms. Ito had said at a press conference, "After I graduated" (Actually, she said "After studying...")

I'm going to show you all the exchanged emails between Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi in the upcoming posts, and you can see how she cleverly omits the parts that are not convenient for her and how she writes so that readers can misunderstand them in her favor.

In the next post, we'll see from 2015 when Ms. Ito returned to Japan and emailed Mr. Yamaguchi to ask for a job.

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

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

The timeline of Shiori Ito [1989-2012]

Ms. Ito's life from 1989 when she was born till 2012, the year before she met Noriyuki Yamaguchi in chronological order. The sources are colored as followed:
Her book "Black Box"➡　
Media coverage➡　
Posts on social media➡　
Court documents➡　
My comments will be indicated by 💡.

1989

Shiori Ito was born and raised as the oldest daughter in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan.

She has a younger brother and a sister.
She started modeling at the age of 9.
She was hospitalized for a long time during junior high school.

💡Her book "Black Box" where she wrote not only about the incident but also about her life and hopes is currently published (translated) in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, France, and Sweden. But for some reason, it has not been translated into English.
It's strange, especially when she says she's moved to London upon the invitation of a women's human rights organization.

2006 (Age 17)

She studied in a high school in Kansas, US, for a year.

💡In the resume she submitted to Mr. Yamaguchi, she wrote she studied in Kansas for a year. She mentions it in her book too.

2008-2009 (Age 19-20)

April: Entered a junior college in Japan

August: Took part in a German-Japanese Youth Summit program held in Germany

Graduated from a junior college in Japan

In her book, she writes that after graduating from high school, she worked part-time day and night to save money to go to a university in New York.
She worked as a news assistant at a TV station for about a year, then traveled to visit friends in Southeast Asia. And then she realized it's not realistic to save money to go to a university in New York, and decided to go to a university in Germany instead.

In fact, however, she seems to have entered a junior college in Japan after graduating from high school. Ms. Ito's resume which she wrote herself says she entered Kanagawa XX junior college in 2008 and graduated in 2010.

💡She doesn't seem to want to make her graduation from a junior college in Japan public. She obviously skipped it in her book and she has not, to my knowledge, mentioned it in any interviews. Is she trying to hide this? If so, why?

German-Japanese Youth Summit program in Germany

As mentioned earlier, Ms. Ito explains in her book that she worked part-time for about a year to save money for university in New York, but then realized it wasn't realistic, so she decided to go to a German university because the tuition was cheaper.

However, as you can see from the photos she was tagged in, she participated in a German-Japanese youth meetup program held in Berlin, Germany, in August 2008, six months after entering junior college.

The participation fee for 2008 is unclear, but I found the fee for 2015 was €600 per person, not including the flights, lunch, optional programs after dinner, and other personal expenses. So it must have cost her around at least €1500-2000 in total.

💡I wonder if the cheap tuition was the real reason why she decided to go to a German university. The meetup program she joined is voluntary. That is, she became interested in Germany soon after entering junior college, not a year later as she says in the book.

Also, If the reason was the cheap tuition, it makes no sense to spend $2000 or more to participate in a German-Japanese youth meetup program.

2010 (Age 21)

March: Graduated from junior college

July: Studied international relations at Berlin XX university

Photos of her departure from Narita Airport are on her friend's social media with the date of August 13, 2010.

💡It is possible that she attended only a summer course at the German university instead of studying to collect school credits as she says in the book. The following reasons may help explain why this is possible.

Working in a hostess club in Roppongi

A blog reader tipped me off that Shiori Ito had been working at a hostess club in Roppongi around 2010-2011. Ms. Ito's close friend K, and also R (they both appear in "Black Box"), who had left a job because of sexual harassment, were both working in the same club as Ms. Ito.

Ms. Ito's hostess name was "Anne," the manager of the club came up with it because Ms. Ito resembled the daughter of Ken Watanabe, Anne.

Anne on the left, Shiori on the right...Twins??

Some of the hostesses there were budding actresses and models, and they could get designer brand goods as gifts just by having a drink with customers and smiling. If you say you don't have money for a trip abroad, you'll get $2000 easily. The most popular hostess would earn about $35,000 a month, so Ms. Ito might have earned about $4000-8000 a month, the reader says.

The reader also says Ms. Ito was definitely working in the summer of 2011, and she would go to nightclubs with her best friends, K and R, and a few others after work. Her boyfriend was a foreigner, and she once took a leave of absence to go abroad. There used to be photos of Ms. Ito and her friends partying in nightclubs on her Instagram, but now they're all deleted.

Ms. Ito's friend R (her hostess name was Yume) had quit her previous company because of sexual harassment and started working as a hostess, and she would consult a customer who was a lawyer every time he'd come to the club about civil trials.

These are the photos that the tip-off person has sent me.

The hostess club where Ms. Ito was working. Now it's remodeled and renamed.

R who quit the job due to sexual harassment. She later wrote emails to Mr. Yamaguchi with Ms. Ito.

2011 (Age 22)

In the book, she explains she decided to go to a university in Germany, she also wanted to study Arabic. But the classes she could take in English were limited. Then she heard that there was a program in which she could study in Syria while studying international relations at a university in Spain, so she went to Spain. But she gave up going to Syria because the situation there had worsened.

💡She writes in her book, "I decided to go to a university in Germany," but regarding the university in Spain, she only says, "I went to Spain because I heard there is a system..." She does not clearly say, "I went to a university in Spain." Moreover, her resume does not mention any study (not even a language course) in Spain.

December: She lived in Barcelona. She went to Germany to spend Christmas with her boyfriend.

👆"Contact Shiori! She's in Germany now."

👆"Her bf is in XX so she should be there now. Even if she's home, she lives in Spain so you can stay at hers. Lol Why don't you text her on facebook? Go to XX!!"

👆"Then why don't you go to Barcelona? You can stay at Shiori's. Lol" 

2012 (Age 23)

May: Posted a photo of the Seville Fair "Feria De Abril" in Spain on her Instagram

💡Based on these posts, you can see that she lived in Spain at least from Dec. 2011 till May 2012. What on earth was she doing in Spain?

*After I started my Japanese blog about her, Shiori closed her Instagram account as private (on Apr. 17, 2020.) Recently a website to support Noriyuki Yamaguchi opened, it's called "JUSTICE FOR NY," and other blogs started revealing the facts she probably didn't want people to know, so maybe she feels she has to hide things.

In late 2012: Stayed in Moscow

On the blog Ms. Ito started writing in April 2013, she says:

I couldn't stop reading, so I was so withdrawn and reading last year that I forgot about Moscow's winter...

And in this post, she also says:

Come to think of it, there were salmon roe crepes in Moscow...!
At first, I'd thought salmon roe should be eaten with rice! but later I was so into it and ate a lot...

From these posts, it's clear that it wasn't a stay for a few days. However, she has never even mentioned this stay in Moscow in her book nor in any interviews. Nobody knows what she was doing there.

November - December: Moved to New York

On her blog posted on April 3, 2013, she says:

Last December, I was walking around Central Park with a friend. We passed by a wedding of two women who looked so happy in the sun. 

This suggests that after staying in Moscow, she moved to New York probably around November or December.

In the book, she says she moved to New York with her partner, whom she had been in a long-distance relationship with, and lived with him. In New York, she majored in photography and journalism, and started making documentaries.

💡According to her book and her blog, Ms. Ito moved to Germany, then to Spain, then to Moscow, then to New York. And meanwhile, she had traveled to 40 countries. What does she expect the readers to think her financial source was? All of this time, she was supposed to be a student, staying overseas with a student visa.

If the tip-off is correct, it means she earned the money by working as a hostess or she got financial assistance from customers she'd met at the club. I've heard that young models and pinup girls often work part-time as a hostess in Roppongi. Ms. Ito herself also used to be a model, and her best friend K is a former model too (though she seems to be a very genuine person and it's possible she truly believes Ms. Ito's story.)

To be clear, I'm not criticizing working as a hostess. It is a fine profession. Some of my friends also worked as a hostess for a short period of time to earn money to study abroad.

The problem is that she might be concealing it and she might be falsifying her educational background. As I mentioned before, it's quite possible that she didn't go to a university in Spain. Or that she only took a summer course at a university in Berlin.

But if you read her book, you would think she graduated from high school in Japan, then went to a university in Germany, then to another university in Spain, then to another university in New York. And none of the school names are disclosed by her. NONE.

It would be a big problem if Ms. Ito, who still is in a legal dispute over the credibility of her claim, conceals or exaggerates or lies about her academic and professional background in her book. It would be reasonable to assume that Ms. Ito's allegation about the incident with Mr. Yamaguchi also contained falsehoods.

In the next post, we'll see from 2013 when Ms. Ito first met Mr. Yamaguchi and became acquainted with him.

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

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com

Introduction (Summary of the incident)

Hi, everyone. Welcome to my blog.

My name is Maurice (not my real name, of course..it's actually my cat's name), I'm a Japanese female (of Korean descent) who has been very interested in the alleged rape case of Shiori Ito. I'm sure you're interested in it too because you've somehow found your way here.

In this blog, I will examine, from various angles, the credibility of Shiori's claim, that she's the victim of "quasi-rape" by Noriyuki Yamaguchi, who was at that time the Washington bureau chief of TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) in April 2015.

Before I get into the details, I will briefly outline the alleged incident and its aftermath.

A Rough Timeline

■In autumn 2013, Shiori Ito, 24, became acquainted with Noriyuki Yamaguchi, 51, then the Washington bureau chief of TBS at a piano bar in New York where she worked.

■In March 2015, she contacted Mr. Yamaguchi for work opportunities in the TBS Washington bureau.

■ On April 3, 2015, Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi went to dinner together for job counseling in Tokyo. First, they went to the Kushiyaki (skewers) bar "Toyokatsu." Then they moved to the Sushi restaurant "Kiichi" where she alleges she lost her memory in the bathroom.

■ She alleges she woke up in pain at about 5 am on April 4, 2015, and found herself being sexually abused in Mr. Yamaguchi's room in the Sheraton Miyako Hotel. Mr. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, denies this and claims Ms. Ito got drunk in the restaurant so he took her back to his hotel room, and after Ms. Ito woke up around 2 am, they had consensual sex.

■ On April 9, 2015, Ms. Ito filed a damage report with the Harajuku Police in Tokyo.

■ On April 30, 2015, the complaint report was accepted by the Takanawa Police.

■ In June 2015, an arrest warrant was issued (alleged by Ms. Ito and the Weekly Shincho magazine).

■ On June 8, 2015, the local police decided not to arrest Mr. Yamaguchi due to an order from above (alleged by Ms. Ito and the Weekly Shincho magazine).

■ On August 26, 2015, investigators searched Mr. Yamaguchi's house and some documents were sent to the prosecutor’s office.

■ On July 22, 2016, the prosecutor dropped the charges against Mr. Yamaguchi.

■ On May 29, 2017, Ms. Ito held a press conference and filed a complaint appeal to the Committee for Inquest of Prosecution.

■ On September 21, 2017, the Tokyo Sixth Committee for the Public Inquest of Prosecution judged the prosecutors' decision of a non-indictment was "appropriate," stating there was no reason to overturn it.

■ On September 28, 2017, Ms. Ito filed a civil lawsuit against Mr. Yamaguchi, demanding 11 million yen (US$97,160) in compensation for her suffering from the alleged rape.

■ In March 2019, Mr. Yamaguchi filed a countersuit against Ms. Ito seeking 130 million yen (US$1,180,000) in compensation for the damage of his reputation.

■ On December 18, 2019, the Tokyo District Court ruled that Mr. Yamaguchi should pay 3.3 million yen (US$30,000) in compensation to Ms. Ito. The Court rejected Mr. Yamaguchi's claim and acknowledged Ms. Ito's actions as being important to society.

■ On January 6, 2020, Mr. Yamaguchi appealed the ruling to the Tokyo High Court.

The purpose of this blog

The key points are...

1. The incident took place inside a closed room, and as there is no physical evidence, only Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi will ever know the truth.

2. There is a significant disagreement between the two sides about what happened (especially inside the hotel room), and one of them is definitely lying.

3. Mr. Yamaguchi was not indicted due to insufficient evidence and later was judged as "non-prosecutable" by the Committee for Inquest of Prosecution that consisted of 11 citizens who had been randomly selected.

In this blog, based on the assumption that Shiori Ito is making a false allegation, I would like to examine the credibility of her claim and her motivation behind it.

In a press conference held after winning the civil trial on December 19th, 2019, Ms. Ito said, "We are considering legal action against so-called 'second rape' that slander sexual victims." First of all, I would like to make it clear that the purpose of this blog is not to slander Shiori Ito.

I am fully aware that questioning her claim that she was a victim of sexual violence and pointing out contradictions in her words and deeds would make her and those who believe in her uncomfortable.

However, only Ms. Ito and Mr. Yamaguchi know what really happened in that room. The prosecutors dropped the charges in the criminal case. The Committee for Inquest of Prosecution judged the case “non-prosecutable”. Therefore, if people treat Ms. Ito as a “victim” of sex crimes, shouldn’t Mr. Yamaguchi be treated as a “victim” of false accusations, when his reputation has been destroyed and he has been labeled a “sex offender” all over the world?

And if you think it's right that Mr. Yamaguchi's libel claim against Ms. Ito was dismissed on the grounds that she is fighting for "social interests and social significance", isn't it also right to fight for the "social interests and social significance" of those men who are falsely accused?

It is judiciously consistent to point out the doubts and inconsistencies of Ms. Ito's claims and to consider the motives behind her allegations to not only determine whether her allegations are true or false but to also protect the innocent of being falsely accused.  

In the confirmed cases of false accusations, the percentage of sexual crime claims was higher than any other crime. False accusations of sexual abuse should not be used as a weapon by women against men. Only the truth in any case and in any crime should be held up as having "social interests" or "social significance".  

The information on this blog is based on Ms. Ito's book "Black Box," interview articles, documentaries about her, court documents, and publicly available postings on social media networks. In order to protect personal information, the posts published on the Internet will be modified using pixelation.

By the way, I have a Japanese blog too. The content is exactly the same. You can click the link below.

gatitomaurice.hatenablog.com