Governor said he thought his text messages were 'lighthearted jokes or playful remarks'
A governor in Japan is stepping down from his position in the wake of a sexual harassment investigation against him over "inappropriate text messages."
Fukui Governor Tatsuji Sugimoto announced his resignation on Tuesday during a news conference at the prefectural government's office, The Japan Times reported.
"It is not appropriate for me as governor to attend prefectural assembly sessions," Sugimoto said at the conference.
"I will step down to minimise confusion in the prefectural government and allow it to restart under a new governor as early as possible."
'Lighthearted jokes'
The governor stepped down as he expressed regret over messages that he sent to an employee, which became the subject of a sexual harassment investigation over the past months.
"Through the investigation, I came to recognise that I had sent messages that could be considered sexual harassment to the whistleblower and other prefectural employees," Sugimoto said as quoted by The Asahi Shimbun.
"I sent them thinking they were lighthearted jokes or playful remarks. I failed to recognise how the employees felt toward me. I deeply regret this."
Sugimoto first admitted to the messages in June, months after the prefectural government received an initial complaint in April about "inappropriate text messages" from the governor.
The sexual harassment report about the governor was filed in October, and a special investigation committee carried out a 6,000-person survey to ask if they had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment from the governor, according to local media in Japan.
The results of the committee's probe are expected to be released in January. Sugimoto said he would "fully cooperate" in the investigation and would respond based on the findings.
This was Sugimoto's second term in office. According to The Japan Times, a gubernatorial election will be held within 50 days of the local election board being notified of the resignation.
