Credited with launching Japan's #metoo movement, this memoir by journalist Shiori Ito narrates the harrowing account of her sexual assault by a well-known media figure and the uphill battle she fought to achieve a measure of justice—including Japanese society's deeply misogynistic culture and her assailant's protection by powerful government officials.
The story of Ito’s struggle for justice—the multiple police investigations, civil and criminal cases, and the social and political context against which they were set—are told in straightforward, gripping prose ... astonishing, infuriating, and yet ultimately inspiring ... the twists and turns of the case lend her book the quality of a riveting political thriller ... But that’s not the main purpose of Black Box. It is, above all, an indictment of the haphazard and incompetent manner in which sexual assault is handled by all levels of relevant authorities in Japan ... a remarkable achievement from a talented journalist who turns her reporter’s lens on her own traumatizing experience of sexual assault. Yet amid the fury and outrage that the reader cannot help but feel, it also generates a sense of hope.
Ito narrates as though she’s still in shock ... Black Box is unforgettable as it exposes how patriarchal cultures and codes of silence deprive rape victims of justice.
The book reveals not only a culture of victim-blaming and lack of support for victims, but also the extent to which the powerful are protected in Japan ... Black Box, a comprehensive exposé of injustice by a fierce and talented journalist, is the proof.
