NANJO, Okinawa Prefecture—The city assembly here forced out the Nanjo mayor whose long denials of sexual harassment fell apart after a long-suffering victim made secret audio recordings of their conversations.

The Nanjo city assembly on Nov. 17 passed a no-confidence motion against Mayor Keishun Koja, 70, by majority vote at an extraordinary session.

It was the second no-confidence resolution passed against the mayor. Under provisions of the Local Autonomy Law, Koja was removed from office immediately after passage of the second motion.

In the 20-seat assembly, the vote was 17 in favor, one against and two abstentions.

Assembly chair Tadashi Adaniya was mistakenly counted as opposing the motion after he failed to stand for the vote.

He later explained, “My intention was to support it.”

Koja did not attend the session and had submitted a resignation letter before the vote.

However, the assembly refused to let him step down and instead forced him out.

In September, the assembly approved the first no-confidence resolution by majority vote, citing disruption of administrative functions caused by the sexual harassment scandal.

Koja, who was in his fourth term, dissolved the assembly instead of resigning. But in the Nov. 9 assembly election, only two candidates who supported Koja were elected.

The mayoral election to fill the vacancy will be held on Dec. 21.

REPEATED DENIALS

In May this year, a third-party committee of lawyers appointed by the city confirmed that Koja has committed multiple instances of sexual harassment against staff members.

“In a private company, this would warrant dismissal,” the committee said.

However, Koja continued to deny any wrongdoing.

The first allegation of sexual harassment against Koja was reported in a local newspaper at the end of 2023.

A woman who had been a driver of Koja’s official car said the mayor had harassed her. She filed a lawsuit against Koja in February last year.

The city assembly conducted a staff survey in April and May last year, and nine people reported sexual harassment and other harm by Koja.

Still, Liberal Democratic Party members of the assembly voted against three earlier no-confidence motions against the mayor, citing his denials.

‘FELT TERRIFIED’

The female staff member who made the audio recordings was one of the confirmed victims of harassment in the third-party committee’s report.

She explained what had happened in an interview with The Asahi Shimbun this month.

She said that when she was alone with Koja while serving tea in the mayor’s office, he touched her body and kissed her.

Later, at a workplace drinking party, a male staff member encouraged her to sit next to Koja, who then touched her body, she said.

After the harassment issue surfaced, the woman told an LDP assembly member about her experience.

Although her identity was supposed to remain hidden, Koja soon asked her, “Are you the one claiming to be a victim?”

She also overheard Koja saying to others, “(I’ll find the witness and) sue them,” which made her feel terrified.

In summer this year, seeking “to protect herself,” she recorded several conversations when she was alone with Koja in the mayor’s office.

In one instance, Koja said: “Just say you haven’t been subjected to anything weird, OK? If anyone asks you.”

The woman replied, “Do you mean things like being hugged?”

Koja said: “Yes, I did hug you. But I didn’t do anything else. Everyone’s saying I kissed you.”

The mayor added, “If you don’t say that, I’ll keep denying it forever.”

She said in the interview that his words scared her, and she began trembling whenever she approached his office.

She said she decided to hand the audio data to an opposition assembly member who had been pursuing Koja’s responsibility.

When LDP members heard the recording, they agreed that Koja’s comments were an attempt to silence a victim.

The fourth no-confidence motion was submitted by LDP members, and it was passed by majority vote on Sept. 26.

Koja did not deny the content of the recorded conversations. But he has repeatedly attacked the woman, calling her “a liar.”

She has also been subjected to attacks on her character and other abuse on social media.

Since mid-September, she has been on leave with no prospect of returning to work.

Although Koja lost his post on Nov. 17, the woman said: “The mayor continued his intimidating behavior, and city assembly members kept defending him, which drove victims into a corner. I want people to reconsider how victim protection should work.”

(This article was written by Kazufumi Kaneko and Satsuki Tanahashi.)