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State Settles Tokyo Detention Center Sex Abuse Suit With ¥600,000 Payment and Training Pledge

The agreement prioritizes preventive training and an official expression of regret over a large payout.

Overview

  • The Tokyo District Court confirmed a settlement in which the state will pay ¥600,000 and the detention center’s director will issue a formal expression of regret.
  • The plaintiff had sought ¥2.2 million in damages over a 2021 sexual assault by a prison officer at the facility.
  • The settlement commits the center to training on preventing sexual crimes, recognizing staff–detainee power imbalances, and avoiding secondary victimization.
  • The officer was criminally convicted in 2022 under the special public‑officer violence and abuse statute, received disciplinary action, and resigned.
  • The plaintiff alleges staff discouraged a police report and made him reenact the incident; the settlement includes work to improve reporting procedures, and one outlet reports the former officer separately paid ¥1 million in a prior deal.