Black Box Diaries

In Japan, only four percent of rape cases are actually dealt with by the justice system. It is against this background that the story of Japanese journalist Shiori Ito is set.

In 2015, Ito is raped by an influential journalist. When she reports the crime, she is told that there is insufficient evidence to bring a criminal case and is obliged to look on as the perpetrator is protected by both the police and politicians including Prime Minister Abe. She decides to start a civil case, write a book, and record her long-drawn battle in a visual diary.

Ito’s determination is unheard of in Japan, where women are expected to be passive. For Black Box Diaries, she secretly records conversations and follows high-placed figures in the street. Slowly but surely, the image emerges of a society that structurally maneuvers women into a position of subservience.

Ito pays a high price for her assertiveness: her relationship with her family comes under pressure and she suffers from anxiety and depression. But many are inspired by her tenacity, and she becomes the face of the Japanese equivalent of the MeToo movement.