Black Box Diaries

When 28-year-old aspiring journalist Shiori Itō went public in May 2017 with her rape accusation against the confidante and biographer of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, she felt she had no choice but to change Japan’s archaic laws on sexual violence. Her press conference shocked the public in a society where it is considered shameful to speak out about such matters.

Within days, Shiori found herself at the center of a Japanese political storm: the right saw her as a threat to the Abe government, while the left saw her as a hero for precisely the same reason. Death threats, cyberbullying, and hate mail sent Shiori into a downward spiral. When she filed a civil lawsuit, the accused declared all-out war on her. Determined not to set a bad example for other victims, Shiori persevered with her case and decided to write a book about her experience. Her book sparked the #MeToo movement in Japan. Self-directed and featuring deeply personal material, Black Box Diaries captures Shiori’s eventful journey. The film goes beyond the headlines and shows what it’s like to walk in her shoes. As a victim and journalist investigating her own case, Shiori shows that her fight is not just about social change, but also a way to regain her strength and stand on her own two feet.