LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- A controversial film directed by a Japanese journalist documenting the investigation of her sexual assault case missed out on winning the best documentary feature prize at the U.S. Academy Awards on Sunday.

If "Black Box Diaries" by Shiori Ito had received an Oscar, it would have been the first documentary film by a Japanese creator to win the award.

The film documents the events that led Ito to accuse former TV reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi of raping her after they dined together in Tokyo in 2015. He denies the allegation.

After Yamaguchi was not indicted due to a lack of evidence, Ito filed a damages suit and wrote a book about her experiences that made her a symbol of Japan's #MeToo movement.

But no decision has been made on whether the film will be screened in Japan following a dispute over the alleged unauthorized use of material, including footage from surveillance cameras at the hotel where she alleges she was raped by Yamaguchi.