Tokyo court orders journalist pay damages to reporter Shiori Ito over alleged rape suit

A Japanese court on Wednesday ordered prominent reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi pay 3.3 million yen ($30,375.55) in damages to journalist Shiori Ito in relation to her allegations he had raped her. The damages were for 30-year-old Ito's suffering after prosecutors declined to indict Yamaguchi following her complaint to police that he had raped her while she was unconscious.

Ito was seeking 11 million yen ($101,251.84) in compensation. Yamaguchi, who has repeatedly denied the allegations, had filed a counter-suit seeking 130 million yen in damages from Ito. The court on Wednesday ruled against his suit.

Ito made waves in 2017 when she took the rare step of going public with allegations that Yamaguchi, a senior television reporter known for his reporting on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had raped her in 2015 after she met him for drinks to discuss an offer to help her find a job. ($1 = 108.6400 yen)