Top Japanese official resigns over sexual harassment claims
A top Japanese official resigned on Wednesday following allegations he sexually harassed female journalists. Junichi Fukuda denies the accusations reported in a magazine which says it has evidence against him. Separately, a local governor stepped down over allegations he paid women for relationships.
Japan’s socially conservative society has so far been slow to join the worldwide
#MeToo movement.
Sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood, the movement started a broad pushback against sexual harassment in many countries around the world. The allegations that Mr Fukuda, the top bureaucrat in Japan’s finance ministry, had made sexually suggestive comments to female journalists were first reported by magazine Shukan Shincho.
The publication also released an audio clip earlier this week which it says is the voice of the bureaucrat saying “Can I give you a hug?” and “Can I touch your breasts?”
Mr Fukuda said he will fight the allegations against him and was resigning only because he did not want to disrupt work at the ministry which already “faces a severe situation”.
Japan’s finance ministry is under fire for allegedly having altered documents to shield Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from accusations of cronyism. The ministry said it plans to appoint a law firm to investigate the accusations.
Despite efforts to boost women in the workforce, Japan still has a big gender gap in politics and companies. Prior to Mr Fukuda’s resignation, Japan’s newspaper employees union had issued a statement calling for better protection of women in the workplace.