TOKYO (TR) – Three Cambodian woman who worked as technical intern trainees at a strawberry farm in Tochigi Prefecture on Monday filed a suit here against the owner over alleged repeated sexual assaults and harassment during their internships.
They are seeking nearly 100 million yen in compensation. The owner, however, has indicated that he will fight the lawsuit, saying that he “thought the other party had consented,” reports NHK (Dec. 16).
On Monday, the three Cambodian women, aged in their 20s, who worked as technical intern trainees at until April last year, filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court. Their lawyers and the labor union supporting them held a press conference in Tokyo.
One woman alleges that the owner of the farm repeatedly sexually assaulted her over a roughly five-month period, threatening that she would be sent back to her home country if she refused.

She also claims at after she became pregnant in January 2023 she was forced to have an abortion without having received a sufficient explanation in her native language. The sexual abuse allegedly continued even after the abortion.
The other two women also claim that their breasts were groped by the owner. The three are seeking a total of more than 92 million yen in compensation.
According to the union, the woman said, “I had borrowed money to come to Japan, so I had no choice but to endure it. I hope they will help so that no more victims like me exist.”
Meanwhile, the farm manager told NHK in an interview, “It is true that I had sex with the woman, but I did not threaten her and I believed she consented. As for the other two, I never groped their breasts or anything like that.” He intends to fight the case in court.