Photo/Illutration Tokyo's Koto Ward Mayor Yayoi Kimura announces her resignation at a news conference at the ward office on Oct. 26. (Takahiro Takizawa)

Tokyo's Koto Ward Mayor Yayoi Kimura announced her resignation on Oct. 26, two days after prosecutors raided the ward mayor's office over allegations of paid online campaigning during the ward mayoral election.

At a news conference at the ward office, Kimura, 58, said that she didn't want the search “to cause confusion and stagnation in the ward administration.”

“I feel deeply sorry for stepping down like this, despite the expectations placed upon me,” she said.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office searched the ward mayor’s office on Oct. 24 for a suspected violation of the Public Offices Election Law.

Her election campaign team is suspected of running a paid online advertisement soliciting votes during the campaign for ward mayor in April.

According to Kimura, the search led to the cancellation of events scheduled for this week.

Concerned that the raids may continue and noting that her parents' home had also been searched, Kimura informed the deputy ward mayor over the phone on Oct. 25 of her intention to resign, the day following the search.

Before making her decision, she consulted with her father, Ben Kimura, a former Lower House member who was elected from the ward, and was told that he would respect her wishes.

In a news conference in August, Kimura said that the decision to run a paid internet ad was made by her staff and she admitted to a lapse in supervision.

At the latest news conference, when Kimura was asked about any change in her perception or her involvement, she refrained from offering a clear statement.

Kimura added that, “I don’t have any other suspicions of any misconduct” besides the online ad.

“My priority is to cooperate with the investigation, and I have not yet thought about what I will do next,” she said. 

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