Black Box Diaries (2024) on Netflix
NR20241h 43mDocumentary
Journalist Shiori Ito investigates her own sexual assault and attempts to prosecute Noriyuki Yamaguchi. Security footage shows Yamaguchi pulling her, intoxicated, from a taxi into a Tokyo hotel.
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- Netflix4.3/5
- IMDb7.5/104,685 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes98%
Trailer
Plot summary
Shiori Ito, a journalist, investigates her own sexual assault and tries to prosecute Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a prominent Japanese journalist. She reports the assault to police, saying she was sexually assaulted with a date rape drug, but they decline to take the case, pointing to a lack of evidence beyond her account. After her side obtains hotel security footage, police begin moving toward an arrest, then halt without explanation and drop the case. Faced with that failure, Ito publicly reveals her own name and Yamaguchi's name, an unusual step in Japan. Her investigation draws attention to the country's outdated judicial and social systems.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Black Box Diaries (2024)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In October 2024 and February 2025, Shiori Itō's former legal representatives held press conferences claiming video footage in her film was used without authorization, raising serious ethical concerns. They said the hotel surveillance footage was obtained under an agreement limiting its use to evidence in Itō's legal proceedings.
- According to Shiori Itō, the hotel security camera footage at the heart of the film was obtained from the hotel for 450,000 yen (about $3,000), ostensibly to cover the cost of editing it to obscure the identities of passersby. The video was handed over on the understanding that it would be used exclusively in civil court proceedings.
- Co-producer Eric Nyari said the Japanese cinemas the filmmakers most hoped for are owned by large corporations that also own hotels, making the film a particularly sensitive case for them. Two French organizations launched a Change.org petition demanding the film's immediate release in Japan.
- Tokyo Shimbun ran an article titled "Video footage of woman speaking of her own sexual assault case used without permission," and some participants complained they had not given permission for their footage to be used. Itō's side said the woman had consented, and the newspaper apologized and corrected the article on February 7.
- Shiori Itō filed a defamation lawsuit on February 10, 2025 seeking 3.3 million yen in damages from Tokyo Shimbun journalist Isoko Mochizuki, arguing that her January 14 article portrayed Itō as egotistical and selfish.
- Black Box Diaries finally opened in Japanese cinemas on December 12, 2025. For that release, Shiori Itō blurred some faces to address Japanese privacy concerns while keeping the film's substance and message.
