ABSTRACT
Since the end of 2017, many controversies and social media campaigns, especially the #MeToo movement, have kept the issue of sexual harassment in the public eye. While the #MeToo movement has impacted many institutions and individuals in some countries, its impact and long-term influence in Japan are difficult to gauge. This is surprising as the problem of sexual harassment is prevalent in many social spheres. This chapter evaluates the extent to which anti-sexual harassment initiatives like #MeToo can be seen as the beginnings of a significant transformation of gender relations in Japanese society or as another failed attempt to eliminate practices and structures of gender inequality. This is followed by an analysis of the case of journalist Ito Shiori. While #MeToo has yielded many positive results, negative indicators can also be noted. It may still be too soon to evaluate the movement’s long-term efficacy in transforming social mores for the better.
