The former mayor of Japan was elected as a city councilor despite facing 99 sexual harassment charges

A former mayor in Japan who resigned due to 99 counts of sexual harassment allegations was elected as a city councilor, causing a public outcry online.

AFP reported on Monday (September 8) that in March last year, former Japanese mayor Hideo Kojima resigned after an official investigation accused him of multiple cases of sexual harassment in a city in central Gifu Prefecture, including touching colleagues' chests and buttocks.

However, a town official confirmed to AFP that the tarnished Hideo Kojima has been elected as a city councilor. The official website of the municipal government shows that Hideo Kojima ranked second among the 10 elected candidates.

Hideo Kojima, 75, told the local TV station that his election as a member of parliament "shows that the residents trust me." He also warned, "Never bring up (sexual harassment allegations) again."

This matter has sparked a great deal of skepticism online. A user posted on X saying, "Don't local voters care about employees who have suffered sexual harassment?" Shameful!"

Some people also posted on Yahoo Japan, saying: "I'm so shocked that I'm speechless. I feel sorry for the female employees."

Hideo Kojima denied some of the accusations against him at a press conference last year. He defended himself by saying that he did not hug the female employee as stated in the investigation report. His actions might seem like hugs, but in fact, they were not.

The investigation committee conducted a questionnaire survey among 193 employees of the city hall where Hideo Kojima worked and received 161 responses. Among them, approximately 58% of the women and 53% of the men indicated that Hideo Kojima had engaged in uncomfortable behavior.

Japan's NHK TV station reported that Hideo Kojima claimed he had not yet read the entire report. The report accused him of having claimed to his subordinates that his hands were fair and smooth in order to coerce female staff members into touching them. The report also said that he would "roll up his trouser legs to show off his legs and ask employees to touch them."

According to the report, some employees used disinfectant spray after being touched by him. The report also detailed Hideo Kojima's inappropriate words and deeds, such as asking employees to bend over.

This investigation originated from a report in Weekly Bunshun magazine, which stated that Hideo Kojima often patted the heads of female employees. Hideo Kojima defended himself by saying that this was an "expression of gratitude".

The proportion of Japanese women entering politics remains relatively low. In the 2025 World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index ranking, Japan ranked 118th among 148 countries. The global #MeToo movement has also developed slowly in Japan. It is said that many victims are too scared to speak out, but several high-profile cases in recent times have forced society to face up to this issue.