Sexual Harassment Rife In Japan's Showbiz, Media Industries, Poll Shows

A survey on actors, models, artists, musicians, film production staff, and others in the field of cultural arts in Japan has unearthed shocking examples of harassment considered unique to the industry, Mami Yoshinaga reported for Mainichi Japan.

Photo Insert: Power harassment is rampant among all such industry sectors with "sexual harassment" being the second most common form.

"A producer asked me if I was willing to become their mistress in return for making me famous."

"For seven years I was told I looked ugly." "I was forced to work for two years without being paid anything." These were among some of the responses to a questionnaire conducted by Arts Workers Japan, a general incorporated association in the cultural arts industry.

A total of 418 people responded to the online survey, which was recommended through various organizations between June 23 and Aug. 31, and the results were announced by the association on its website on Sept. 6.

Of the respondents, 46.2% were actors, models, singers, and other performers; 30.6% were artists, writers, reporters, screenwriters, and other media workers outside the field of visual content; and 23.2% were film and TV production staff, broadcasters, directors and other visual industry workers.

Of the total, 29.9% were men and 67.2% women. Those who were unemployed, such as freelance workers, accounted for 77.7%.

To a multiple-answer question asking if they had ever been harassed or seen or heard of harassment, 383 respondents, or 93.2%, cited "power harassment" as the most common form of harassment -- signifying that power harassment is rampant among all such industry sectors.

"Sexual harassment" was the second most common form, selected by 73.5%, or 302 respondents.

When asked about what they had suffered from, the most common form of damage was from "psychological attacks such as threats, defamation and insults," which was named by 346 respondents, or 83%. There were 237 specific examples of such harassment.

These cases were largely divided into serious sexual harassment, power harassment, and being forced to work unfairly for low wages. Some of the sexual harassment cases included severe harm that could warrant criminal investigations.

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