Airline captain in Japan indicted for using his authority to sexually harass flight attendant, doesn’t lose his job

ANA captain in Japan keeps job despite internal investigation confirming sexual harassment allegations

Despite an internal investigation by the airline confirming that a captain sexually harassed a flight attendant, the man, who is in his 40s, kept his job which prompted outrage online.

According to Mainichi Shimbun, prosecutors in Japan have filed an indictment against the captain for the incident that occurred in Oct 2023.

Captain abused his authority

In the indictment, authorities allege that the captain had touched the female flight attendant over her clothes repeatedly, including on her butt.

He had used his position of authority to incite fear in his victim, instilling her with a belief that refusal meant her career would be harmed.

This crime carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison if convicted.

Source: All Nippon Airways on Facebook

In response to queries, All Nippon Airways (ANA) told Mainichi Shimbun that it had conducted an internal investigation following the allegations.

Through interviews, they were able to confirm that “a flight operations crew member sexually harassed a cabin crew member after working hours”.

They also said they had taken “strict action” against the captain. However, he remains employed by the company.

Outrage online after news broke

Once news broke, it quickly caught the attention of Japanese netizens. An X post sharing an article on the story garnered over 42 million views.

Many criticised ANA for keeping the captain on their payroll.

One commenter expressed confusion as to why the airline had chosen to do this.

Source: X

Several pointed to ANA’s previous collaboration with gravure idols, saying it contributed to the sexualisation of its flight attendants, which they believe led to the harassment.

Source: X

In a statement, ANA said they are committed to preventing reoccurrences of harassment.

Also read: Former Japanese governor accused of sexually harassing 4 female subordinates, sent them over 1,000 explicit texts

Former Japanese governor accused of sexually harassing 4 female subordinates, sent them over 1,000 explicit texts

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Featured image adapted from All Nippon Airways on Facebook and shisuka on Canva. Right image is for illustration purposes only.