Cambodian trainee seeks damages over alleged rapes at Japan farm

by Risako Nakanishi
December16, 2024

A Cambodian technical trainee on Monday filed a damages suit against a manager at a strawberry farm north of Tokyo, alleging multiple instances of rape over a five-month period that led to pregnancy and an abortion.

The 23-year-old woman is seeking about 80 million yen ($520,000) in damages from the 58-year-old manager at the farm in Tochigi Prefecture, according to a complaint filed with the Tokyo District Court.

The woman, who began working at the farm in July 2022, claims she was sexually assaulted by the manager "almost every day" from December 2022 through April 2023 and was threatened by him with being sent back to her country if she refused, it said.

After finding out she was pregnant in January 2023, she was forced to undergo an abortion without being given a sufficient explanation in her mother tongue, and the assaults allegedly continued even after the abortion.

"It is a serious abuse of human rights, taking advantage of the vulnerable position of a trainee," her lawyer Kazuko Ito said, noting that the trainee was burdened with debt from expenses incurred to enter Japan -- a common situation for technical interns.

Kazuko Ito (L), one of the lawyers for a 23-year-old Cambodian technical trainee who filed a damages suit against a manager at a strawberry farm alleging multiple instances of rape, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2024. (Kyodo)
The man told Kyodo News on Sunday that the sexual acts were consensual and denied making any threats to her.

The woman sought protection and was given shelter by a labor union in Gifu Prefecture in April 2023 and later resumed work as a trainee in a different prefecture, but she was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder in June this year.

She filed a complaint with the Tochigi prefectural police in 2023 over the allegations, and the case was referred to prosecutors in December of that year, an investigative source said. However, the police included an opinion recommending against indictment, citing insufficient evidence.

"I believe that the laws in Japan will bring justice to a person in a weak position like me," the woman said in a statement.

Two other Cambodian women who were working at the strawberry farm during the same period have also joined the lawsuit against the manager, claiming he fondled their breasts and buttocks.

The three trainees also sought payment of unpaid wages in the suit.

Japan's technical internship program, introduced in 1993 to transfer skills to developing countries, has long been criticized as a cover for importing low-cost labor amid a shrinking working-age population. Many trainees have fled due to abusive treatment, including unpaid wages and harassment.

Japan revised in November its guidelines for the program to enable trainees to switch workplaces more easily by clearly stating job transfers are allowed if interns are abused or sexually harassed or there has been a malicious violation of laws and regulations.