A research team from Chiba University has developed a Japanese version of the REAL (Rape Excusing Attitudes and Language) scale to measure the acceptance of false beliefs and prejudices (rape myths) that blame victims of sexual violence or defend perpetrators in Japan.
According to a survey by the Ministry of Justice, 85% of sexual crime victims are unable to speak up even after being victimized. It has been pointed out that the background to this is "rape myths," which are misconceptions and stereotypes about victims, perpetrators, and the act itself that are specific to sexual crimes. For example, typical rape myths include "if a woman doesn't clearly say no, it can't be claimed as a sexual crime" and "if a woman enters a room alone with a man, she has consented to sexual intercourse."
In this study, due to the need for a scale to measure rape myth acceptance in Japan, we developed a Japanese version of the REAL scale based on the REAL scale created by Hahnel-Peeters and Goetz in 2022. We verified the reliability and validity of the developed Japanese version of the REAL scale by carefully examining it to ensure that the translation was the same as the original, and conducting an anonymous web survey of 18 men and women aged 65 to 1,000 who gave their consent.
As a result, a comparison of REAL scores (average values) between Japan and the United States revealed that Japanese REAL scores were more than seven times higher than Americans. Additionally, it was found that in Japan, men scored more than six points higher than women, and that younger generations (7-6 years old) scored higher than other generations. Furthermore, it was revealed that the psychological characteristics of rape myths in Japanese people can be divided into two groups: "18. The psychology of underestimating one's own actions and believing that it is not a sexual crime" and "29. The psychology of believing that there was tacit consent and believing that one's actions are not a sexual crime."
The research team believes that one of the factors behind the large score difference between Japan and the U.S. is the difference in educational environment. It is expected that the Japanese version of the REAL scale developed this time will not only help Japanese people recognize and change their prejudices against sexual crimes, but also lead to the research and development and social implementation of programs to reduce prejudice.
