<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">As some of you have seen, the film director and actor <span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo">Sakaki Hideo, whose film about domestic sexual abuse was due to be released soon, has himself been accused of "casting couch" sexual harassment by a number of female actors. </span><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo"><a href="https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202203090001188.html" class="">https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202203090001188.html</a></span></div><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo">The widespread media reports about the incident have brought the issue of sexual harassment in the Japanese media world to the fore, a problem that some believe is quite pervasive. There have been some #MeToo successes in Japan, especially the successful lawsuit by Ito Shiori, but just a couple of years ago an accusation by a female tarento against prominent comedians resulted in only her losing work. </span></div><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo">Several groups have issued statements prompted by the Sakaki case, urging the industry to deal seriously with sexual harassment. Reports have also emerged of many other forms of power harassment.</span></div><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span class="css-16my406 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 css-901oao r-bcqeeo">The film directors </span>Koreeda, Suwa, Sode, Nishikawa, Fukada, and Funahashi have posted a statement against all forms of violence employed by film directors:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="https://action4cinema.theletter.jp/posts/877aa260-a60c-11ec-a1bd-3d3b3c9fc3bd" class="">https://action4cinema.theletter.jp/posts/877aa260-a60c-11ec-a1bd-3d3b3c9fc3bd</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">And the Japanese Film Project, which is an advocacy group fighting against gender discrimination and other labor issues, has also made public a statement:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="https://note.com/jpfilm_project/n/neb60f3a95b17" class="">https://note.com/jpfilm_project/n/neb60f3a95b17</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Let us hope there is some change.</div><br class=""><br class=""><div class="">
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font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Aaron Gerow<br class="">Alfred W. Griswold Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Film and Media Studies</div><div class="">Chair, <span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">East Asian Languages and Literatures</span></div><div class=""><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">Yale University</span></div><div class="">320 York Street, Room 108<br class="">PO Box 208201<br class="">New Haven, CT 06520-<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" class="">8201</span><br class="">USA<br class="">Phone: 1-203-432-7082<br class="">Fax: 1-203-432-6729<br class="">e-mail: <a href="mailto:aaron.gerow@yale.edu" class="">aaron.gerow@yale.edu</a></div><div class="">website: <a href="http://www.aarongerow.com" class="">www.aarongerow.com</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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