KOCHI (TR) – A town mayor has announced his resignation after he acknowledged groping a woman, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 19).
Earlier this year, Katsuya Onishi, the 49-year-old mayor of the town of Kuroshio, invited the woman into his vehicle after an evening of drinking together. He then allegedly fondled her body while she resisted his advances.
At an emergency town assembly meeting on Wednesday, Onishi said that he was drunk at the time, but added that his actions were inexcusable. “Now, I just have to hope that the emotional wounds suffered by [the woman] will heal even a little,” he said.
Onishi tendered his resignation the day before. According to the Mainichi Shimbun (Aug. 18), he said, “I will resign to take responsibility.”
After graduating from high school, Onishi studied orchid cultivation. He was first elected mayor in 2010. He was serving his third term.
During his terms, Onishi worked extensively in disaster prevention,
specifically in the construction of a tower that residents can climb to escape from a tsunami rolling on shore.
