Shiori Ito: The Japanese icon of Metoo has been prepared for an Oscar

When Japanese journalist Shiri Ito decided to talk about her allegations of rape, she knew she was standing in front of a society that prefers silence.

“I'm afraid … But all I want to do is talk about the truth,” Shiri says in the opening stage of the Oscar -nominated Black Box documentary logs.

Shiri became the face of Japan's movement after accusing a well -known journalist Norieuki Yamaguchi in rape.

Her applauded directorial debut, based on her memoir of the same name, is a retelling of her pursuit of justice after the authorities found the evidence insufficient to pursue criminal charges.

But there is one country in which it is yet to be played: Japan, where it is in great dispute. Her former lawyers accused her of included audio and video footage, which she did not have permission to use, which, in their opinion, has violated confidence and puts her sources at risk. Shiri defends what she has done as needed for a “public good”.

It is a scary turn in a story that covered Japan when the first broke-then 28-year-old Shiri ignored his family's request to remain silent. And after her public accusation did not lead to a criminal case, she filed a civil case against Yamaguchi and won $ 30,000 (£ 22,917) compensation.

Shiri said to the BBC, which makes the movie that includes “The experience of her trauma”: “It took me four years (to make the movie) because I was emotionally struggling.”

She was an intern at the Reuters Agency in 2015 when she says Yamaguchi invited her to discuss the opportunity to work. He was the head of the Washington Bureau for a large Japanese media company, Tokyo Broadcasting System.

Shiri claims she was raped after dinner in Tokyo with Yamaguchi, who has always denied the allegations.

CCTV footage Shiri is dragged from a taxi and at a hotel are part of more than 400 hours of footage, which she edited for the documentary.

According to her, the editing process was “really challenging. It was like hardcore exposure therapy. “

When the film was released, CCTV footage became a source of friction, as the team of former Shiri lawyers, who helped her win her court process, faded the documentary.

They claimed that this was an unauthorized use of CCTV staff – and that it had violated the promise not to use it outside the court proceedings. S

Last week, her former lawyers, led by Yoko Nishikhiro, held another press conference, saying that the use of staff creates challenges for other cases of sexual assault.

“If the fact that the evidence from the process is publicly announced will not be able to receive cooperation in future cases,” said G -jj Nishihiro.

Nishhiriro claims that Shirie also used unauthorized records, saying that she found this only at the screening of the movie last July.

This included an audio of a police detective who eventually acted as a whistle for the investigation process – as well as a video of a taxi driver who gave testifying the night of the alleged rape. Both, the lawyers claim, were identified and none of them had consent to the film.

“I have been trying to protect her so much for eight and a half years and I feel like I was completely torn,” said Mrs. Nishihiro.

“I want her to explain and be held accountable.”

Earlier Shiri admitted that he did not have the permission of the hotel to use CCTV, but claims it was “the only visual evidence” that it had from the night it was sexually attacked.

She added that the inclusion of an audio of the police detective was necessary because of “concealing the investigation”, adding that she was playing the video “about the public good”.

“We are standing in different perspectives,” she said about falling out with her former lawyers.

“For me (this is for the public good. For them, this is” do not violate any rules. “

There was no official explanation why the film was not yet common. Shiri said that “Japan is not yet ready to talk about (it),” but it is not clear how much of it is due to legal obstacles.

In his last statement last week, Shiri apologized and said he would dismiss parts of the documentary to make sure that people would not be identified, adding that the edited version would be projected forward.

“There are times that I would not have to have to invest (the documentary). There are times I am not proud of, but I wanted to put it and show that we are also people,” she told the BBC. “No one is perfect.”

In the nine years after the attack, Shiri's struggle against Japan's justice system was well enclosed in the media – and it was something she said she wanted to describe in detail in her documentary.

She was greeted with a wave of return reaction when in 2017 she became public, receiving a mail for hatred and online abuse.

“People told me you don't cry enough … You don't wear the right clothes … you're too strong.”

Some have criticized the way she was dressed at a press conference, where she first accused Yamaguchi – they said her shirt was fastened too low. Shiri said she had left Japan for a few months, fearing her safety.

Shirory's case is followed by other high profile cases. In 2023, former soldier Rina Gonoi also broke out publicly with his history, accusing three former soldiers of sexual assault on it. This was the year in which Japan passed remarkable laws to redefine the rape of “violent sexual contact” of “disagree sexual contact” and increase the age of 13 to 16.

Gonoy eventually won his work, but Shiri says it's proof that speaking against sexual violence comes at a price and adds: “Is it worth going through this as a survival that is looking for justice? It shouldn't be that way. You have to sacrifice a lot.”

It is unclear so far whether her film will ever be shown in Japan, but she says his home return will be her final prize.

“This is my love letter to Japan. I really want to be able to review my movie one day and my family can watch it too,” she added.

“I really hope … more than winning an Oscar.”