#Japanese #Mayor #Resigns #Wracked #Accusations #Sex #Harassment
Tokyo –
A mayor in Japan has resigned after facing 99 accusations of sexual harassment. This case sparked anger among the Japanese public, especially after the mayor denied the accusations against him and even cried during a press conference.
As reported AFPFriday (1/3/2024), an official investigation by Japanese authorities accused Hideo Kojima, who served as mayor of Ginan in the Gifu region, of committing a number of acts of harassment, including touching the breasts and buttocks of a colleague.
Kojima, who is 74 years old, announced his resignation on Thursday (29/2) local time, or a day after he wiped away tears in front of journalists when he told about his brother who scolded him regarding this case.
He denied a number of allegations discussed in detail at the independent committee, including that he had hugged several female employees in incidents witnessed by others.
“I didn’t do it,” Kojima said in a statement broadcast on local television. He claimed that the gesture may have looked like a hug, but it wasn’t.
“The report is less than neutral and I would like them to investigate it more carefully,” he said.
According to a report by Japan’s leading broadcaster, NHK, Kojima admitted he had not read the entire report, which accused him of telling subordinates that his “hands were soft… to force female employees to touch him”.
Also see ‘Following Japan and South Korea, Singapore is also experiencing a population crisis’:
(nvc/ita)
