The Tiantai Sect of Buddhism on Monday began an investigation into the allegations (representative)
Tokyo:
One of Japan’s largest Buddhist sects said on Tuesday it has launched an investigation into a nun’s accusation that a monk sexually assaulted her for 14 years and that a senior monk turned a blind eye.
The woman, now in her 50s, had previously accused the older monk of rape, but authorities dropped her case in 2019, according to media reports.
She, who goes by her religious name Eicho, went public with the accusations in January, telling a news conference that she suffered “sexual violence, intimidation and psychological restraint” from the monk at a temple in western Japan. .
A spokesman for the Buddhist Tendai sect, which is based near Kyoto and is one of Japan’s most important spiritual temples, told AFP the sect began an investigation into the allegations on Monday.
The nun said in January that an octogenarian “monk” – the highest ranking monk in Japanese Buddhism – “turned a deaf ear to, and even encouraged” the man’s behavior.
She demanded that the sect strip monks and monastics of their religious status.
The accused monk told public broadcaster NHK on Monday that “I have nothing to say at the moment” and that he would cooperate with the sect’s investigation if asked.
The nun said she hoped her public event would draw attention to the extremely insular nature of the temple, which she warned could be a breeding ground for sex crimes.
“In cultures that have been passed down from generation to generation, temples have been protected because of their isolation from the outside world,” she said.
She added that many people who seek comfort from pastors in the throes of despair are prone to develop a blind faith in them.
“Such religious beliefs can easily be exploited to brainwash them and subject them to sexual abuse,” Eco warned.
“I’m speaking out because if I stayed silent, more people would be hurt, and that would be a dereliction of my duty.”
Victims of sexual violence rarely come out in public in Japan, where the #MeToo movement got off to a late start and many women are seen as afraid to come forward.
But some high-profile cases signal change, such as that of Rina Gonoi, who was honored this week at the White House in Washington for her fight against sexual assault in the military.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
