Hop Film Event: Black Box Diaries with filmmaker Ito Shiori in person

When 28-year-old aspiring journalist Shiori Ito goes public in May 2017 with her rape allegation against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's closest journalist and biographer, she feels she has no other choice in order to change Japan's antiquated sexual assault laws. Her press conference shocks the public in a society where speaking up on such matters is considered shameful. Within days, Shiori is swept into the center of Japanese politics—the right wing views her as a threat to bring down the Abe government and the left hails her a hero for the same reason. Death threats, cyberbullying and hate mail take Shiori into a downward spiral. When she files a civil case, the accused wages all-out war against her. Determined not to set a bad example for other victims, Shiori pushes forward with her case and resolves to publish a book about her experience.

Unfolding like a thriller and combining secret…