How Trauma Affects Memory: A Panel Discussion

Masayuki Otake, a former prosecutor with 17 years of experience, and Vickie Skorji, TELL Senior Advisor and former mental health clinician, examine what happens when trauma affects memory and how police, prosecutors, and survivors can experience those gaps very differently.

WHEN TRAUMA AFFECTS MEMORY
Rape, Memory, and Justice in Japan

What happens when a survivor cannot remember everything?
And how should police, prosecutors, and others understand trauma-affected memory? Join us for a rare conversation bringing together 30+ years of prosecution experience and mental health neuroscience.

Masayuki Otake, A Former Prosecutor’s Perspective

Masayuki Otake is a Counsel at Tokyo International Law Office (TKI). Prior to joining the firm, he has worked as a public prosecutor for 15 years, handling various criminal investigations and court trials, including serious fraud, corporate crime, cybercrime and sexual violence matters. During his secondments at the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the Embassy of Japan in London), he engaged in complex bilateral and multilateral intergovernmental negotiations, and has also worked with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on human rights matters.

Vickie Skorji, A Mental Health and Neuroscience Perspective

Vickie Skorji, TELL Senior Advisor and former mental health clinician, will explain how rape trauma can affect memory from a neuroscience perspective — and why fragmented, incomplete, or inconsistent memories do not necessarily mean that an experience did not happen.

Together, they will explore the intersection of trauma, memory, investigation, and justice, and what professionals and the wider community need to understand when supporting survivors.

Event Schedule:

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Panel starts: 7:00 PM

Panel ends: 8:30 PM

November 25, 2026 | 6:30–8:30 PM | English only

Wesley Center
6-10-11 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Hosted by TELL