One-third of working women sexually harassed

One-third of Japanese working women have experienced sexual harassment at their place of employment, although nearly two-thirds of them suffer in silence, a survey has found.

The results of the landmark study commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare came as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to support working women to kick-start the country's struggling economy.

Economists have said for years that Japan needs to make better use of its well-educated but underemployed women, which could go a long way toward plugging the labor gap as the country faces an aging and declining population.