Black Box Diaries

This daring work of first-person investigative journalism charts the extraordinary case that not only launched #MeToo in Japan but changed the country’s legal system for good.

In 2015, as a 25-year-old intern, Shiori Itō was raped by Noriyuki Yamaguchi, the Washington bureau chief of the Tokyo Broadcasting System and a friend of then–prime minister Shinzo Abe. In a country where the legal age of consent was 13 and sex-crime legislation dated back to the Meiji era, prosecuting – let alone winning – such a case was almost unthinkable. But Itō didn’t let that stop her. Black Box Diaries recounts the entire saga, which was first documented in her 2017 memoir and ultimately resulted in an overhaul of Japan’s century-old laws.

The inaugural winner of the CPH:DOX Human:Rights Award is an example not only of stunning journalism but also bravura filmmaking. Intensely personal even as it tackles alarmingly universal issues, it sees Itō turn the camera (often that of her phone) on herself, the police, lawyers and media as she navigates the devastating storm that has raged since she publicly named her abuser and decides to pursue justice at all costs. Both as victim-survivor and as director, Itō gives powerful voice to her own life- and law-changing story – and hope to women everywhere.

“A generous, courageous and ultimately hopeful film end to end, cementing Itō – named by Time as one of the world’s most influential people in 2020 – as a significant new voice.” – Harper’s Bazaar