TOKYO: Tokyo District Court ordered Wednesday former television reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi to pay 3.3 million yen in compensation to journalist Shiori Ito in a high-profile rape case.

In her lawsuit, Ito, 30, demanded 11 million yen in damages from the former Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. reporter, 53, claiming that she was raped by him in 2015.

Presiding Judge Akihiro Suzuki said Yamaguchi "had intercourse with the unconscious plaintiff without her consent and then tried to continue the act after she regained consciousness and refused."

According to her petition, Ito lost consciousness while dining and drinking with Yamaguchi to discuss her job in April 2015. She claimed that she was raped at a hotel in Tokyo.

The judge acknowledged that Ito had consumed a large amount of alcohol and was in a state of inebriation when she entered the hotel.

Given that Ito had consulted her case immediately after the incident, Suzuki said that the sex was without consent and that she had no reason to make false claims.

Suzuki refuted Yamaguchi's insistence that the sex was consensual, saying his statements "changed unreasonably and were not reliable."

The court rejected a lawsuit from Yamaguchi demanding that Ito pay compensation, claiming that her statements during a press conference undermined his confidence in society.

The judge ruled that the press conference did not amount to defamation, saying that it was held "to improve the environment surrounding sex crime victims."

In July 2016, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office did not indict Yamaguchi after he was accused by police of raping an intoxicated person.

Although Ito filed a complaint against the prosecutors' decision, a prosecution inquest committee ruled that the decision was fair, saying that there was no reason to reverse it.

After the court handed down the latest ruling, Ito said that she was pleased that all the evidence and testimonies were made public thanks to the hearing.

Jiji Press