Japan mayor Hideo Kojima quits over 99 sexual harassment allegations, insists he ‘didn’t do it’
- Kojima is accused of several incidents of harassment, including touching a colleague’s breasts and patting women workers on their heads
- He said his gestures may have looked like a hug, but were not, sparking anger from Japanese social media users
The resignation of a Japanese mayor facing 99 allegations of sexual harassment sparked anger on social media on Friday, after he denied some cases and wept at a press conference.
An official investigation accused Hideo Kojima, the mayor of a town in central Gifu region, of several incidents of harassment, including touching a colleague’s breasts and buttocks.
The 74-year-old said on Thursday he would quit, a day after wiping away tears in front of reporters as he described his brother scolding him.
He denied some of the allegations detailed in a report by an independent committee, including that he had hugged women employees in incidents witnessed by others.
“I didn’t do it,” he said in televised comments, explaining that his gestures may have looked like a hug, but were not.
“The report lacks neutrality and I want them to investigate more carefully,” the mayor said.
According to broadcaster NHK, Kojima said he had not read the whole report, which alleged that he would tell subordinates that “his hands were fair and smooth … to force women employees to touch them”.
The report said he would also “show off his legs by rolling up his trousers, and tell them to touch”.
