A Japanese ex-governor sent over 1,000 harassing texts to staff, a probe found, detailing messages and alleged groping that may constitute criminal acts.
TOKYO: A former Japanese governor accused of sexual harassment sent more than 1,000 inappropriate text messages to staff, an independent investigation has found.
Tatsuji Sugimoto, 63, resigned last month partway through his second term as governor of Fukui prefecture after allegations emerged via a whistleblower system.
Lawyers conducting the probe interviewed about 6,000 officials via email and held face-to-face meetings with 14 of them.
Their report stated the number of text messages corroborating sexual harassment exceeded 1,000.
Messages included statements like “I won’t say anything about a physical relationship” and “Do you like sexual things?”.
The report also detailed several alleged cases of physical contact, such as touching a thigh or buttocks.
Sugimoto denied the physical allegations to the investigating lawyers.
“It appears that Mr. Sugimoto engaged in so-called groping, and it cannot be ruled out that his conduct may constitute the criminal offence of non-consensual indecent acts,” the report concluded.
It noted that even after apologising to victims, Sugimoto in some cases resumed sending messages.
This behaviour “may also constitute an illegal act” violating Japan’s anti-stalking legislation.
“Even taking into account Mr. Sugimoto’s expression of his remorse and apologies toward the victim… and that he resigned from the governorship, we must still conclude that Mr. Sugimoto bears grave responsibility,” the report stated.
Japan ranked 118th among 148 nations in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 gender gap index.
The global #MeToo movement has gained limited traction in the country despite a handful of high-profile cases.
These include Shiori Ito, whose Oscar-nominated documentary “Black Box Diaries” about her alleged rape by a TV reporter began screening in Japan last month.
