In Japan, domestic violence survivors help victims – and abusers
by Takehiko Kambayashi
Oct 02, 2023
4 minutes
Yamazaki Kikuno’s husband would often get enraged over small things, but she blamed herself for every punch or kick. “I thought my communication skills were poor,” says Ms. Yamazaki, who lives on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
In 1997, the violence reached a breaking point. Flying into a rage over the contents of a bento, or lunchbox, that she had made him, Ms. Yamazaki’s husband pushed her over and started wringing her neck in front of their children, as their daughter screamed for him to stop.
The incident prompted Ms. Yamazaki to flee to one of the few private shelters in Japan at the time: Onnano Space On in Sapporo, the island’s capital. The shelter’s then-leader
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