A Japanese government panel of experts has proposed that the defense ministry broadly and systematically review its measures to prevent harassment.

The experts held a meeting on Friday, and the head of the panel later handed a set of proposals to a defense ministry official.

The ministry says the number of harassment cases reported by Self-Defense Force members and other employees exceeded 2,100 in the last fiscal year that ended in March.

A former Ground Self-Defense Force member called for preventive measures last August, saying she had been sexually assaulted in the unit that she belonged to.

The defense ministry last November set up the expert panel, which includes lawyers and a doctor, for a comprehensive review of its anti-harassment measures. It also interviewed the former GSDF member.

The experts noted in the proposals that commanders have lacked an awareness of their responsibilities in harassment cases, and that they failed to seek assessments or advice from outside the ministry.

They proposed that top officials from each body of the ministry regularly deliver messages to raise awareness among commanders that harassment cases are a matter of grave concern.

They said commanders should continuously undergo specific and practical programs to learn their responsibilities in harassment cases.
The experts also proposed that the ministry regularly review its harassment measures with outside experts.

Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu said that the ministry and the Self-Defense Forces should work hard to ensure that their personnel and Japanese citizens recognize they have become an organization where harassment is not tolerated.