Well-known authors issued a statement to eradicate sexual violence and sexual assault in the film industry

The Japanese entertainment industry is in turmoil after filmmakers and actors have been accused of sexual violence and sexual assault by countless actresses who were raped, sexual assaulted or coerced into sex due to fear they may lose an acting role.

Award winning authors Yauchi Mariko and Yuzuki Asako have issued a statement to eradicate sexual violence and sexual assault in the film industry and many other male and female authors supported the statement on their social media accounts. Many whose works received a film adaptation.

An excerpt from the statement is as follows, “While it is said that normal harassment due to uneven power balance, physical violence, psychological violence such as blackmail, etc. are the constitution of the industry, women are taking a great risk this time. I think that confessing sexual damage should be taken seriously both inside and outside the industry. We express our will to solidarity in response to the courage of those who have raised their voices”.

As for why they issued a statement, “We thought that we, who are on the outside and have a special relationship, could work in solidarity and raise a voice. I hope this statement will be a deterrent to sexual assault in a closed world. It is a self-respect and reflection on what we have not stood up to in order to eradicate sexual harassment in the publishing world, and it is also a statement of intention to change it in the future. We ourselves must be aware that we can be the perpetrators of harassment. The problems facing the film world are continuous with the publishing world. Now that it is well known that filmmaking is so prone to sexual harm, I think it is necessary to make major changes to the environment itself”.

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