Hideo Kojima, the mayor of the Japanese town of Ginan in&nbsp;Gifu Prefecture on Thursday (Feb 29) submitted his resignation after a third-party committee found him guilty of sexually harassing a number of his female employees.

The committee, as per a Japan Times report, identified 99 acts, including patting the heads and buttocks of female staff members.

<h2>'Inappropriate' behaviour</h2>

The third-party committee on Tuesday (Feb 27) published its report on the various sexual harassment complaints against Kojima.&nbsp;

It identified 99 acts of harassment, including touching their heads or buttocks, forcing them to lift their skirts and exposing his chest and legs to them. The report also makes mention of sexual comments and behaviour it deems "inappropriate" for a town mayor.

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Some of these acts, as per the report, fall within the legal definition of indecent assault.

The report was based on the survey of 161 of the 193 employees working under Kojima—80 men and 81 women.&nbsp;

58 per cent of women and 53.7 per cent of men said that the mayor made them feel uncomfortable. 85 per cent of men and 81.4 per cent of women said they had seen him sexually harassing and/or verbally abusing members of the staff.

These findings, as per the report, point to no other alternative but Kojima's immediate resignation.

<h2>Mayor alleges 'bias'</h2>

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, 74-year-old Kojima, who was elected in&nbsp;November 2020 and was serving his first term,&nbsp;refuted the committee's report and called it "biased".

"I think the report of this investigation committee lacks neutrality. It is biased. I think it would have been better if there had been more careful explanations in the investigation."

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"It is written in a one-sided way. I think the investigation report was done with sexual harassment in mind from the beginning. It doesn’t feel right," added Kojima.

While he acknowledged that patting the heads of female staff was indeed an act of sexual harassment, he denied some claims in the report, such as hugging female employees.&nbsp;

Teary-eyed, he apologised and said: "I am sorry for the trouble I have caused. I will resign."

"After receiving phone calls from townspeople and seeing news reports, I decided it was time to move on," he added.

The resignation is yet to be finalised and needs the consent of the town assembly, which will meet on Friday (March 1). If finalised, the mayoral election is expected to be held by the end of April.

(With inputs from agencies)

Hideo Kojima, the mayor of the Japanese town of Ginan in Gifu Prefecture on Thursday (Feb 29) submitted his resignation after a third-party committee found him guilty of sexually harassing a number of his female employees.

Hideo Kojima, the mayor of the Japanese town of Ginan in Gifu Prefecture on Thursday (Feb 29) submitted his resignation after a third-party committee found him guilty of sexually harassing a number of his female employees. The committee, as per a Japan Times report, identified 99 acts, including patting the heads and buttocks of female staff members. 'Inappropriate' behaviour The third-party committee on Tuesday (Feb 27) published its report on the various sexual harassment complaints against Kojima. It identified 99 acts of harassment, including touching their heads or buttocks, forcing them to lift their skirts and exposing his chest and legs to them. The report also makes mention of sexual comments and behaviour it deems "inappropriate" for a town mayor. Also read | 'Love conquers all': UK man legally dead for 50 mins comes back to life. Here's the miraculous story Some of these acts, as per the report, fall within the legal definition of indecent assault. The report was based on the survey of 161 of the 193 employees working under Kojima—80 men and 81 women. 58 per cent of women and 53.7 per cent of men said that the mayor made them feel uncomfortable. 85 per cent of men and 81.4 per cent of women said they had seen him sexually harassing and/or verbally abusing members of the staff. These findings, as per the report, point to no other alternative but Kojima's immediate resignation. Mayor alleges 'bias' Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, 74-year-old Kojima, who was elected in November 2020 and was serving his first term, refuted the committee's report and called it "biased". "I think the report of this investigation committee lacks neutrality. It is biased. I think it would have been better if there had been more careful explanations in the investigation." Also read | 'Live long and prosper': Star Trek may hold the key to effectively communicating with AI chatbots "It is written in a one-sided way. I think the investigation report was done with sexual harassment in mind from the beginning. It doesn’t feel right," added Kojima. While he acknowledged that patting the heads of female staff was indeed an act of sexual harassment, he denied some claims in the report, such as hugging female employees. Teary-eyed, he apologised and said: "I am sorry for the trouble I have caused. I will resign." "After receiving phone calls from townspeople and seeing news reports, I decided it was time to move on," he added. The resignation is yet to be finalised and needs the consent of the town assembly, which will meet on Friday (March 1). If finalised, the mayoral election is expected to be held by the end of April. (With inputs from agencies)

'Sorry for the trouble': Mayor of a Japanese town resigns after probe identifies 99 acts of sexual harassment

In Ashiya, Japan, voters have made national history by electing a 26-year-old and making him the youngest-ever mayor in the nation. With more than 46 per cent votes, Ryosuke Takashima defeated three rivals including the incumbent in the Ashiya mayoral election on April 23.

Following his win, Takashima said that his age doesn't matter, rather what he can achieve does.

"My youth means I have more energy to be more active than anyone else," he said.

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In Japan, where according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union,&nbsp;most members of the nation's parliament are aged 50 to 70,&nbsp;Ryosuke Takashima's win at such a huge margin is a big deal.

A Harvard graduate, the newly elected mayor broke all previous records. Before him, as per the Japan Association of City Mayors, the youngest mayor was Kotaro Shishida,&nbsp;who back in 1994 was elected as the mayor of Musashimurayama in western Tokyo.

He has many achievements under his belt. As per Asahi, he studied environmental engineering at Harvard University and since 2016 has been the head of Ryugaku Fellowship - a non-profit organisation that helps students who plan on studying abroad.

Takashima's campaign in Ashiya city of Hyogo Prefecture was focused on providing more support for young families, free medical care for people under the age of 18, and better English education programmes.

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As per CNN, he also campaigned for "green infrastructure planning, promising to create more public spaces and parks, as well as reforms in education, childcare and youth healthcare."

Speaking to the press, he said that he hoped "people will look at me and evaluate me not on my age but on the results. I can run because I am young. I want to make Ashiya the most desirable city in the world to continue living in."

(With inputs from agencies)

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In Ashiya, Japan, voters have made national history by electing a 26-year-old and making him the youngest-ever mayor in the nation. With more than 46 per cent votes, Ryosuke Takashima defeated three rivals including the incumbent in the Ashiya mayoral election on April 23.

In Ashiya, Japan, voters have made national history by electing a 26-year-old and making him the youngest-ever mayor in the nation. With more than 46 per cent votes, Ryosuke Takashima defeated three rivals including the incumbent in the Ashiya mayoral election on April 23. Following his win, Takashima said that his age doesn't matter, rather what he can achieve does. "My youth means I have more energy to be more active than anyone else," he said. Also read | Japan, EU say US plans to ban all exports to Russia 'simply not do-able' In Japan, where according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, most members of the nation's parliament are aged 50 to 70, Ryosuke Takashima's win at such a huge margin is a big deal. A Harvard graduate, the newly elected mayor broke all previous records. Before him, as per the Japan Association of City Mayors, the youngest mayor was Kotaro Shishida, who back in 1994 was elected as the mayor of Musashimurayama in western Tokyo. He has many achievements under his belt. As per Asahi, he studied environmental engineering at Harvard University and since 2016 has been the head of Ryugaku Fellowship - a non-profit organisation that helps students who plan on studying abroad. Takashima's campaign in Ashiya city of Hyogo Prefecture was focused on providing more support for young families, free medical care for people under the age of 18, and better English education programmes. Also read | WATCH | Humankind's love-hate relationship with AI: Chinese woman bashes hospital robot with stick As per CNN, he also campaigned for "green infrastructure planning, promising to create more public spaces and parks, as well as reforms in education, childcare and youth healthcare." Speaking to the press, he said that he hoped "people will look at me and evaluate me not on my age but on the results. I can run because I am young. I want to make Ashiya the most desirable city in the world to continue living in." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

26-year-old Ryosuke Takashima becomes Japan's youngest mayor

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'Sorry for the trouble': Mayor of a Japanese town resigns after probe identifies 99 acts of sexual harassment

26-year-old Ryosuke Takashima becomes Japan's youngest mayor