Some of what has been brought up in this thread reminds me of a
New York Times article I just read about a then-23-year-old female grad student who had a decade-long relationship with her professor.
She was of legal age (23 years old), the professor argued it was consensual, it lasted ten years, and, in Japan, consent through coercion or grooming while recognizing power imbalances is not a major issue because the laws reflect an attitude that sex acts are only assault if there’s violence involved with the requirement that the victim fight back be met. Furthermore, universities in Japan don’t tend to prohibit sexual relationships between professors and students.
So everything was legal and the seemingly pervasive attitude regarding sexual relationships would make all of the above sound acceptable and above board. But read her take on how she came to terms with what happened to her as she grew older, the pressures she felt with the expectation she had to behave in Japan’s ultra appeasing attitudes towards higher up on the hierarchy, not making a fuss, etc.
A case involving a graduate student and her art history professor illustrates the tangled state of sexual power dynamics in Japan.
www.nytimes.com
She said that her behavior was a sign of indoctrination, and that she was afraid to be “rude” to her supervisor, who had authority over her future career.
When she would try to end the relationship, she said in court filings, Mr. Hayashi would accuse her of being “paranoid” or tell her she would never be able to date anyone else. She said Mr. Hayashi told her: “You can sue me for sexual harassment if you wanted to. But you won’t because you’re not that kind of girl.”
Btw, she lost her sexual harassment lawsuit (though she knew it was a longshot); and ended up being successfully sued by the professor’s wife for nearly $20,000 for adultery and causing mental distress under Japan’s legal code. The professor paid about half of that for his comparative fault.
She’s now dealing with PTSD in therapy, working through feelings of self-blame, and hasn’t been well enough to work full time as she grapples with her ten-year long “consensual” relationship.
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