15 Pct of Hospitals in Japan Report Sexual Abuse

Tokyo, April 29 (Jiji Press)--Sexual abuse of patients has occurred at 15.5 pct of hospitals and other medical facilities in Japan, a government survey found.

The survey by the Children and Families Agency, the first of its kind, was conducted online between December 2025 and January 2026 to grasp the actual situation of sexual abuse by doctors, nurses and other staff against patients including children. Of the 5,000 institutions surveyed, 1,113 gave valid responses.

The results of the survey were announced Tuesday.

Among the facilities that reported sexual abuse, 34.0 pct confirmed incidents involving physical contact, voyeurism and other acts. Those aged 19 to 39 accounted for 66.7 pct of the victims, while junior high and senior high school students made up 3.3 pct.

Many workers who committed abuse belonged to psychosomatic and psychiatry departments or internal medicine departments. About half of the incidents occurred during one-on-one interactions between patients and staff.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]