Nun seeks dignity after alleged sexual abuse by Tendai priest in Japan (Pt. 2)
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TAKAMATSU (Kyodo) — But gradually realizing that what was happening to her was not right, Eicho took action. She called a women’s hotline for advice in 2015. Then in May 2017, she saw a TV press conference held by Japanese journalist Shiori Ito, who had come forward to accuse former TV reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi of sexual assault.
Eicho said she was “stunned” to see Ito make the accusations. “I was empowered to know that being a victim of sexual violence is nothing to be ashamed of,” she said. Because of her willingness to expose Yamaguchi, Ito became a symbol of the #MeToo movement in Japan where people rarely report sexual assault.
Later, with the help of someone she met through social media, Eicho fled the temple in October 2017 and began living in a shelter run by a private support group. After leaving the temple, doctors diagnosed her with complex PTSD and depression.
In 2019, Eicho filed a complaint with police on charges of rape. Although she was hesitant and afraid, she decided to file the complaint on her own. But the charges were not pressed for lack of evidence.
“This was my answer from the Buddha. Dying is my only choice,” she thought. But before taking steps to end her life, Eicho says, she visited the daisojo to ask him the “meaning” of the outcome of her complaint. She says he yelled at her saying, “What are you doing trying to bring charges against your relative!” and convinced her to return to the abbot’s temple. Under his spell once again, she returned.
Content retrieved from: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240509/p2g/00m/0na/048000c.
