Japanese mayor resigns over visits to 'love' hotel with married staff
The mayor of Maebashi in Japan, Akira Ogawa, has stepped down from her post over her repeated visits to "love" hotels with a married senior city official.
City assembly speaker Kimitaka Tomita confirmed Ogawa's resignation to reporters on Nov. 25. The assembly was set to vote on a no-confidence motion against the resigned mayor over the controversy on Nov. 27.
"This is a decision I made after earnestly accepting the opinions I received from the members of the city council and the voices I heard in dialogues with citizens, after agonizing over it extensively," Ogawa wrote on X in Japanese, as translated by the social media platform.
"While deeply reflecting on my own actions, I have firmly confronted the spread of inaccurate information and defamation, and I have devoted myself to my duties with the single-minded determination to advance the promises I made during the election even one day sooner. I have done my utmost to explain the situation to the council, but I accept that my inability to fully convey those feelings to the members was a shortfall on my part."
In September, Ogawa admitted to visiting love hotels with a married male employee over 10 times. She denied having a romantic relationship with him and claimed they only talked about their personal and work problems at the venue.
According to Japanese news agency Kyodo, the city received over 10,000 phone calls regarding the issue.
"No matter how much I apologize, the fact that my actions caused inconvenience and misunderstanding to all of you citizens cannot be fully atoned for. That is why, with this decision, I will pause once, correct my own stance, and act with all my might to regain trust," Ogawa said.
The resigned mayor also apologized for the "burdens" she imposed on her staff members that were "beyond their regular duties."
Before Ogawa stepped down, seven parliamentary groups in Maebashi urged her to resign.
"The mayor's inappropriate acts and subsequent response have caused confusion and stagnation in the city administration, significantly damaged the city's image, and negatively impacted overall regional economic activity, which cannot be overlooked," the groups wrote in a letter to Ogawa, as per Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun.
Ogawa won the Maebashi mayoral election in February 2024, becoming the city's first female mayor.
