Apr 19 (NHK) - A Japanese television network says a woman employee is among the victims of alleged sexual harassment by a top bureaucrat of the Finance Ministry.
Hiroshi Shinozuka, the news bureau chief of Tokyo-based TV Asahi, was speaking at a news conference early on Thursday.
Administrative Vice Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda was accused of making harassing comments to woman reporters after the Shukan Shincho weekly magazine reported on the scandal.
He expressed his intention to step down on Wednesday, but he stressed that the magazine's allegations are false and that he will take the matter to court.
Shinozuka said the employee dined with Fukuda for news gathering purposes several times from about one-and-a-half years ago.
He noted that she started recording conversations with Fukuda because he made harassing remarks on those occasions.
Shinozuka said the firm examined the recordings and concluded that Fukuda engaged in sexual harassment despite his denials.
Shinozuka said the TV network will lodge an official protest with the ministry.
The bureau chief stated that the employee asked her superior to publicly report the misconduct, but the official decided not to do so due to concern that being named could cause her further harm.
Shinozuka said the firm did not lodge any protest with the ministry or Fukuda himself.
The chief noted the employee thought that the misconduct would be overlooked, and made contact with the magazine and provided some of the recordings.
TV Asahi says it was inappropriate for the employee to provide information to another party that was obtained through news gathering activity.
Shinozuka said the organization should have studied how to deal with the matter but failed to do so.
