OSAKA (TR) — A female prosecutor at the center of a major sex crime scandal involving the former top official of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office has resigned from her post.
The woman concurrently filed a formal complaint against a colleague who allegedly branded her a liar, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 30).
The victim, who goes by the pseudonym Hikari, submitted her resignation on Thursday, explaining that she suffered a physical breakdown after reporting the abuse and could no longer continue her duties.
Speaking at a press conference in Osaka later that day, she broke down in tears. “I loved my job as a prosecutor, but my pleas were continuously ignored, and I was left with nowhere to return to,” she said.
On the same day, Hikari filed an appeal with the Osaka No. 2 Prosecution Review Commission. She claims it was unjust for authorities to drop charges against a female deputy prosecutor who allegedly defamed her by spreading rumors around the workplace that she had made a “false accusation.”
The Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office dropped the defamation and other related charges against the deputy prosecutor in March of last year. However, the office did issue her a disciplinary reprimand for inappropriately disclosing the victim’s name to coworkers.
Reverse course
The underlying scandal centers on Kentaro Kitagawa, 66, the former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, who is currently on trial for quasi-forcible sexual intercourse against the victim, his former subordinate.
While Kitagawa admitted to the allegations during his initial court hearing in October 2024, his defense team has since announced plans to reverse course and argue for his innocence in upcoming trial dates.
