The mayor of Ginan, a town in Gifu Prefecture, will resign on March 5 after being accused of numerous acts of harassment against municipal government employees.

The frequency and details of the acts committed by the mayor, Hideo Kojima, as confirmed by a third-party committee composed of three lawyers set up after the allegations came to the fore, are shocking.

Kojima summoned female employees to places out of sight to touch their bodies, hugged them in the reception room and held their hands while having them accompany him in his car.

At the same time, he would fly into a rage at subordinates he disliked, repeatedly threatening them with "disciplinary action" and “dismissal."

The mayor defended his actions as "intended as gestures of appreciation or gratitude" but ended up submitting his resignation. Given that he still made feeble attempts to justify his actions, his resignation is completely warranted.

Kojima started problematic behavior immediately after his inauguration as mayor in November 2020.

In a survey of employees of the local government, half of the respondents indicated that they had experienced "unpleasant actions" from the mayor. Some of the staff quit their jobs after being harassed.

In recent years, sexual and power harassment by local government heads and assembly members has become a problem nationwide. An undeserved sense of being a member of the elite, created by their electoral victories, seems to lurk behind these scandals.

Couldn’t the municipal administration have taken action to stop the mayor?

In fact, the town government had harassment prevention regulations, and there was a consultation desk in the general affairs division.

However, fearing information leaks to the mayor, the officials involved could not even keep records of what they heard from the victims.

Since the mayor had the power to decide disciplinary action after any investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, the system had little chance of functioning properly.

The municipal government’s senior officials, at their wits' end, could only urge female staff to take precautionary measures to protect themselves. They advised female employees not to enter the mayor's office alone and to carry recording devices.

Despite such a serious situation, neither the town’s assembly nor the municipal auditors took any action. Although there is a regional appeals committee that accepts complaints from local government employees, it said that there had been no consultations.

According to the third-party investigation committee's report, as a "last resort," some Ginan municipal government officials provided information about the mayor’s sexual harassment allegations to the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine.

In May last year, Bunshun Online carried a report blowing the lid off the scandal. The way the affair was handled suggests the depth of the staff's sense of helplessness.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 90 percent of local governments nationwide have systems in place to prevent harassment, but it's questionable whether they can also cover the top leadership. This needs to be reviewed.

Following the mayor's resignation over sexual harassment allegations, the city of Komae in Tokyo established an anti-harassment ordinance in 2018 that also covers public personnel in the special service, such as the mayor, the deputy mayor and municipal assembly members.

The municipal government has also commissioned an external foundation to provide a consultation service for harassment victims. A grievance committee that includes experts discusses cases and publishes the results for those involving local government chiefs and other special service officials.

The Research Institute for Local Government says about 40 local governments nationwide have similar ordinances.

The president of a famed company has recently resigned after being embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal.

To ensure a safe working environment for government and corporate employees, an independent oversight mechanism that monitors, investigates and addresses instances of harassment is indispensable.

In Ginan, a mayoral election will be held within 50 days. Along with political views, we hope ideas to reform the workplace will also be a campaign issue. 

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 3