A woman working at Hokkaido Shimbun, a regional newspaper, committed suicide in February 2015. She had alleged that, at an office party in December 2014, she had suffered sexual harassment by her boss and a co-worker, who, according to the allegations, had repeatedly touched her body inappropriately and made lewd suggestions. Though she had pursued her claim through the channels in the company, she had failed to reach a satisfactory resolution. The day before her suicide, she had sent documents criticizing the newspaper to numerous news outlets, stating that Hokkaido Shimbun did not handle her case with care. In May 2015, her parents filed a criminal complaint.