Komae Mayor Suggests Resignation after Sexual Harassment Claims

May 23, 2018

Tokyo- The mayor of Komae, southern Tokyo, hinted at his resignation on Tuesday after four female city workers submitted a complaint the same day that they have been sexually harassed by the mayor.

"I take the complaints seriously and will consider resigning after apologizing to them," Mayor Kunihiko Takahashi, 66, told reporters.

The remark came only a day after he denied such behavior at a press conference.

"I have no choice but to admit there were harassing acts if they claim so," Takahashi said Tuesday.

In the written complaint submitted to the city government, the women claimed that the mayor inappropriately touched them on various occasions and sent unpleasant text messages from his official-use mobile phone.

The scandal came to light during a city assembly meeting in March. The Komae government acknowledged the mayor's misconduct in an inquiry report on Friday. Jiji Press