Consent in Sexual Violence

Why Does Sexual Violence Continue to Occur? An Examination of the Underlying Social Norms

Video Discussion Questions:

  1. Why did so many survivors/victims respond to the NHK survey? What messages do their responses collectively convey?
  2. What societal norms encourage silence about sexual violence?
  3. What are the similarities and differences among the four categories of survivors/victims discussed in the video: children, workers, men, and people with disabilities?
  4. What is the psychological and social impact of sexual violence on survivors/victims?
  5. From our own positions—as students, educators, professionals, or community members—how can we address and prevent sexual violence?

Accompanying Readings:

1. Societal and Policy Change

Burns, Catherine. 2005. Sexual Violence and the Law in Japan. London; New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Gray, Gavan Patrick. 2022. “Legal Responses to Sexual Violence in Japan: First Steps in a Lengthy Process of Rehabilitation.” In Gender Violence, the Law, and Society, edited by M. Susanne Schotanus, 91–103. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Johnson, David T. 2024. “Is Rape a Crime in Japan?” International Journal of Asian Studies, 1–16.

Leheny, David. 2006. Think Global, Fear Local: Sex, Violence, and Anxiety in Contemporary Japan. Ithaca (N.Y.): Cornell University Press.

Lilja, Mona. 2022. “Pushing Resistance Theory in IR beyond ‘Opposition’: The Constructive Resistance of the #MeToo Movement in Japan.” Review of International Studies 48 (1): 149–70.

Mackie, Vera. 2003. Feminism in Modern Japan: Citizenship, Embodiment and Sexuality. Contemporary Japanese Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Matsui, Shigenori. 2023. Sex, Sexuality, and the Constitution: Enshrining the Right to Sexual Autonomy in Japan. UBC Press.

Osawa, Machiko, and Jeff Kingston. 2024. “Domestic Violence, Sex Abuse, and Civil Society in Japan.” In Varieties of Civil Society Across Asia, 91–105. Routledge.

Ueno, Chizuko. 2009. The Modern Family in Japan: Its Rise and Fall. Japanese Society Series. Melbourne, Vic: Trans Pacific Press.

2. Psychological and Social Impact on Survivors/Victims

Honda, Tomoko, Karen Wynter, Jinko Yokota, Thach Tran, Yuri Ujiie, Madoka Niwa, Michi Nakayama, et al. 2018. “Sexual Violence as a Key Contributor to Poor Mental Health Among Japanese Women Subjected to Intimate Partner Violence.” Journal of Women’s Health 27 (5): 716–23.

Madan, Manish, and Mahesh K. Nalla. 2016. “Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces: Examining Gender Differences in Perceived Seriousness and Victimization.” International Criminal Justice Review 26 (2): 80–97.

Uji, M., N. Shikai, M. Shono, and T. Kitamura. 2007. “Contribution of Shame and Attribution Style in Developing PTSD among Japanese University Women with Negative Sexual Experiences.” Archives of Women’s Mental Health 10 (3): 111–20.

Watanabe, Yukari, and Michiko Miyazaki. 2018. “Sex-Related Violence and the Protection of Women’s Health in Japan Health Law.” Medicine and Law 37 (2): 353–62.

Yamawaki, Niwako. 2009. “The Role of Rape Myth Acceptance and Belief in a Just World on Victim Blame Attribution: A Study in Japan.” Psychologia 52 (3): 163–74.

3. High Risk Groups and Environments

Finkelhor, David. 2008. Childhood Victimization: Violence, Crime and Abuse in the Lives of Young People. New York: Oxford University Press.

Goodman, Roger, Yuki Imoto, and Tuukka H. I. Toivonen, eds. 2012. A Sociology of Japanese Youth: From Returnees to NEETs. London; New York: Routledge.

Huen, Yuki W. P. 2007. “Workplace Sexual Harassment in Japan: A Review of Combating Measures Taken.” Asian Survey 47 (5): 811–27.

Hughes, Karen, Mark A Bellis, Lisa Jones, Sara Wood, Geoff Bates, Lindsay Eckley, Ellie McCoy, Christopher Mikton, Tom Shakespeare, and Alana Officer. 2012. “Prevalence and Risk of Violence against Adults with Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.” The Lancet 379 (9826): 1621–29.

Mailhot Amborski, Amylee, Eve-Line Bussières, Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, and Christian C. Joyal. 2022. “Sexual Violence Against Persons With Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis.” Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 23 (4): 1330–43.

McDonald, Paula. 2012. “Workplace Sexual Harassment 30 Years on: A Review of the Literature.” International Journal of Management Reviews 14 (1): 1–17.

Molony, Barbara. 2008. Gendering Modern Japanese History. Harvard East Asian Monographs, v. 251. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center.

Morishita, Junko, Manabu Yasuda, and Shiro Suda. 2024. “Help-Seeking Behavior of Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in Japan.” Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Reports 3 (4): e70013.

Nemoto, Kumiko. 2016. Too Few Women at the Top: The Persistence of Inequality in Japan. Ithaca: ILR Press.

Tanaka, Masako, Yumi E. Suzuki, Ikuko Aoyama, Kota Takaoka, and Harriet L. MacMillan. 2017. “Child Sexual Abuse in Japan: A Systematic Review and Future Directions.” Current Issues in Child Sexual Abuse, Gender and Health Outcomes -Part II 66 (April):31–40.

Weiss, Karen G. 2010. “Male Sexual Victimization: Examining Men’s Experiences of Rape and Sexual Assault.” Men and Masculinities 12 (3): 275–98.

Williams, Christine L., and Kirsten Dellinger. 2010. Gender and Sexuality in the Workplace. Bingley: Emerald.

Yoshihama, Mieko, and Julie Horrocks. 2010. “Risk of Intimate Partner Violence: Role of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Sexual Initiation in Women in Japan.” Children and Youth Services Review 32 (1): 28–37.

4. Economic Consequences of Sexual Violence

Kashino, Takanori. 2025. “Sexual Harassment by Multiple Stakeholders in Entrepreneurship: The Case of Japan.” Journal of Business Venturing Insights 23 (June):e00517.

Loya, Rebecca M. 2015. “Rape as an Economic Crime: The Impact of Sexual Violence on Survivors’ Employment and Economic Well-Being.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 30 (16): 2793–2813.

Martin, Sandra L., Rebecca J. Macy, and Siobhan K. Young. 2011. “Health and Economic Consequences of Sexual Violence.” Violence against Women and Children, Vol 1: Mapping the Terrain., 173–95.

Osawa, Machiko. 2023. “Tasukete” to Ieru Shakai e: Seibōryoku to Danjo Fubyōdō Shakai. Shohan. Ōsaka-fu Suita-shi: Nishi Nihon Shuppansha.

Post, Lori A., Nancy J. Mezey, Christopher Maxwell, and Wilma Novalés Wibert. 2002. “The Rape Tax: Tangible and Intangible Costs of Sexual Violence.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 17 (7): 773–82.