A Japanese court on Tuesday found three former soldiers guilty of sexually assaulting a female colleague, in a victory for the victim whose battle for justice challenged taboos in a traditional, male-dominated society.

The case of 24-year-old former Self-Defense Forces member Rina Gonoi relates to a 2021 incident during her time in the army when she said she was pinned down by three male colleagues who simulated a sex act on her.

The defendants denied that their acts amounted to sexual assault.

The men, aged from 29 to 31, seemed to show little expression as the judge read out his verdict, giving them each a suspended sentence of two years.

“I think it was good for Japan’s society that the court handed down a guilty verdict and accepted the claims that I’ve made from the very beginning,” Gonoi told reporters outside the district court in Fukushima, about 250 kilometres (155 miles)north of Tokyo.

“(The verdict) shows that it’s not OK to do things for a laugh, that such acts are an actual crime,” she said, pausing mid-sentence to retain her composure.