Three Japanese ex-soldiers charged over sexual abuse

TOKYO: Japanese prosecutors on Friday charged three ex-soldiers over sexual abuse of a colleague, who is suing the government for failing to prevent the assaults, local media reported.

Rina Gonoi, 23, went public about the alleged assaults last year, after an investigation into her claims was dropped on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Friday´s move by the prosecutors in Fukushima region, where Gonoi was previously stationed, is a reversal of their initial conclusion not to prosecute.

A spokesman for the prosecutors´ office told AFP they could not confirm the decision over the phone. “Today, the three were charged over sexual assault against me... I finally feel (my efforts) paid off because every day I was suffering,” Gonoi wrote on Twitter.