A Tokyo district court has sentenced All Nippon Airways (ANA) pilot Ryota Mise to 20 months in prison for sexually assaulting a flight attendant. The ruling came on Tuesday following an incident that occurred in the early hours of October 10, 2023, in Takamatsu, Kagawa prefecture.

The court found that the 44-year-old captain repeatedly touched the flight attendant’s buttocks on a street and later inside a convenience store after they had attended a group dinner together following a flight. The woman, who had met Mise for the first time the previous day while working together, testified during the trial that she was too scared to resist the assault due to concerns about potential professional repercussions.

Presiding judge Takao Okawa described Mise’s conduct as “despicable” and emphasized that the pilot had abused the authority conferred by his role. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of two years and six months. Mise, however, argued that the physical contact was a form of playful behaviour, believing that he and the flight attendant had established sufficient rapport during the group meal to justify his actions. The court rejected this defence, concluding that the explanation did not excuse his behaviour or warrant a suspended sentence.

The case highlights issues of power dynamics in the workplace and the challenges faced by employees in confronting misconduct by superiors.