On Sunday, the results of the Ginan town council election in Gifu Prefecture were announced with one hugely controversial result. In total, 10 candidates won seats. This included the town’s former mayor, Hideo Kojima, who finished second in the ballot despite being forced to resign from his post last year after an investigative committee confirmed that he had sexually harassed or verbally abused staff at least 99 times. He was accused of touching colleagues’ breasts and buttocks. According to the report, Kojima also asked employees to stroke his legs, made inappropriate remarks and pressured some women to lift their skirts.

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More Than 80% of Respondents Said They Saw Former Ginan Mayor Sexually Harass or Verbally Abuse Staff

Out of 193 employees, 161 were surveyed as part of the investigation. Of the 80 men who responded, 53.7% said Kojima made them feel uncomfortable, while 58% of the 81 women asked said the same. They were also asked if they saw Kojima sexually harass or verbally abuse staff, to which 85% of the male respondents and 81.4% of the female respondents said yes. The mayor was subsequently forced to step down. Though he apologized for the trouble he caused, Kojima felt the third-party investigation was unfair. 

He denied some of the acts he was accused of in the investigation, such as hugging female employees. He argued that while it may have looked like he was hugging them, it was actually something different. “I think the report of this investigation committee lacks neutrality,” said Kojima. “It is biased. I think it would have been better if there had been more careful explanations in the investigation. It is written in a one-sided way. I think the investigation report was done with sexual harassment in mind from the beginning. It doesn’t feel right.” 

Kojima Refuses To Discuss Sexual Harassment Issue 

Kojima later told reporters that he decided to move on after “receiving phone calls from townspeople and seeing news reports.” That seemed like the end of his political career. Kojima, though, had other ideas, and so did voters in Ginan town. “It’s the will of the people, reflecting their recognition of my efforts,” he said to a local TV network on Monday. He then refused to comment when asked about the sexual harassment issue. “No discussion on that,” said Kojima. “If you want to talk about it, the interview is over.” 

Unsurprisingly, netizens were shocked at the election result. “This would be unthinkable in a regular company,” posted one X user. “To put it bluntly, it’s like someone who was sacked for misconduct getting rehired.” Another wrote, “The residents who voted are out of their minds. This will only deepen the emotional scars of those who suffered sexual harassment.” Many of Kojima’s victims are still working at the government office. They will, no doubt, see the election result as a major kick in the teeth. Last year, Yuki Goto, who replaced Kojima as mayor, pledged to eradicate harassment during her campaign. 

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Updated On September 9, 2025