M:　最初に週刊誌の記事が出て、続いて昨年5月に、自ら記者会見をしたんですよね？
M: At first a weekly magazine published an article about your incident. Then, you decided to go public at a press conference on May 29th last year.

S: 逮捕状は執行されませんでしたが事件は書類送検され、検察は山口氏の事情聴取などを行い、'16年7月に証拠不十分で不起訴にしたのです。そのとき私は次のステップに進むことを決意しました。検察審査会へ申し立てをして、自分で事件を公表しようと思ったのです。もちろんそんなことしたくありませんでしたが、ここで私がやらなければ、私の妹や親友や、大切な人々にだって同じことが起こりうる。次の犠牲者を生んでしまうと思ったのです。
　申し立てのために、自分で証拠を調べ直したり、公表へ向け家族を説得したりと準備しました。そして、昨年5月の機会がやってきたんです。
 
S:  My case was moved to the prosecutor’s office, where they investigated Mr. Yamaguchi through questioning. But they dropped the case in July 2016 due to lack of evidence. That day I prepared myself for the next step: to go public, and to also make a request to the prosecutor to reopen the case.
 This is what I did. Of course I didn’t want to do all of this, but I knew that if I avoided these problems – if, this time, I myself didn’t face them head on – the same things might happen to my sister, my best friends and to others who are dear to me. I would be responsible for making victims out of the people I love.
 We had to start again from square one. I had to persuade my family to agree to my going public with the incident. After months of preparation and re-investigation, in May of last year, I finally got the chance to speak out.

M: 会見するのは怖かった？
M: How did you feel leading up to the press conference?

S:　会見前に遺書を書きました。何が起こるかわからないし、周囲の人に感謝を伝えたかった。不思議なくらい落ち着いていて、私の進む道はこれしかない、と確信していたのです。
　でも、友人の助けがなくてはできませんでした。最初の報道が出てから一人暮らししていた部屋の周辺で不審なことが続き、親友の家に数ヶ月身を隠しました。彼女は私を家に泊めて、記者クラブにも一緒に行ってくれた。タクシーの中でGloria Gaynorの『 I will survive』を2人で歌いながら（笑）。彼女のおかげで前日までの恐怖感も払拭できました冷静でいられたと思います。
 
S: I wrote a will before going in, because I didn’t know what was going to happen. I wanted to thank everyone who had stood by me. It was very odd because I felt very calm and I was certain that this was the only way forward.
 I couldn’t have done it without my best friend’s help. She gave me a place to hide out in for months when I couldn’t get back into my apartment, where I lived alone, because of some suspicious activity that took place outside of my building after the first articles came out about my case. She let me stay with her, and even came to the press conference with me.
 On our way, we sang Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” in the taxi (laughter). Her being there made me feel more relaxed and calm – thanks to her, I didn’t feel so terrified during the days leading up to the press conference.