MIE (TR) – Toshihisa Inamori, the mayor of Iga City — famous nationwide as the historical birthplace of the Iga-ryu ninja — held an emergency press conference on Thursday to deny allegations of an extramarital affair with a female politician.
When facing reporters, the married father of two maintained a grim expression, a stark contrast to past public appearances where he cheerfully donned ninja garb.
The hasty press conference was called after a weekly magazine published an exposé claiming the mayor is involved in an illicit relationship with a female city council member from neighboring Tsu City.
During the session, Inamori admitted to meeting the woman alone behind closed doors, but maintained the relationship was purely professional.
“Even though the location functioned as an office, I reflect with regret that it was inappropriate for the two of us to meet in an apartment that is generally considered a living space,” the mayor said.
Inamori confessed that the rendezvous took place “mostly at night,” adding, “During the longest times, we were there for five or six hours.”
Despite the prolonged, late-night sessions in the apartment, Inamori vehemently denied any physical relationship, claiming that other individuals were occasionally present during their meetings. “It was for political support, or to seek and give advice to one another. There were no unchaste acts,” he insisted.
The magazine report also highlighted a trail of intimate messaging exchanges between the pair. However, when grilled by reporters about the texts, the mayor provided a convenient excuse: the messages have all been deleted.
When a reporter asked why he deleted his Line messaging history, Inamori became defensive. He said, “It’s not about who I was talking to; I just delete things after a certain period of time, so I didn’t keep them.”
Pressed further on why he felt the need to go out of his way to erase the exchanges, the cornered mayor deflected. He said, “They are just not there. I cannot confirm the posts or transmissions that have been pointed out.”
