In a significant development, a female prosecutor has issued a formal request for the creation of an independent third-party committee to investigate harassment issues within the prosecutorial organization in Japan. This request follows public allegations of sexual assault against Kentaro Kitagawa, a former chief prosecutor at the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, who faces charges of quasi-coerced intercourse stemming from an incident in which he allegedly assaulted a female subordinate while intoxicated in 2018. The press conference held by the female prosecutor underscored the necessity for accountability within the justice system, relating that other organizations like corporations and municipalities are expected to establish such committees when faced with criminal conduct or harassment claims against leadership.