A crime victim may not only notify the investigating authorities of the incident by furnishing an incident report but also notify a public prosecutor or judicial police officer of the facts of an offense and make a complaint to request that the offender be punished.
  Both incident reports and complaints trigger investigation by the authorities.Complaints constitute a condition of prosecution of offenses such as rape,indecent assault,defamation and destruction of objects.A public prosecution cannot be instituted against these offenses if no complaint is made or if the complaint is withdrawn.
  In the case of those offenses that are to be prosecuted upon complaint,a complaint may only be filed within six months in principle from the date when the victim identifies the offender.However,in the case of sexual offenses such as rape and indecent assault,it is often difficult for the victim to decide to make a complaint within a short period of time due to the mental trauma caused by the offense.In light of this,there is no deadline for making complaints against such offenses.