Apr 21 (Japan Times) - When asked about a complaint from a Japanese TV station that the most senior official at his ministry sexually harassed a reporter, Finance Minister Taro Aso said the font used on the complaint letter was too small.
The scandal broke last week when a magazine reported that the official, Junichi Fukuda, harassed at least one unnamed female journalist. He resigned over the matter but has continued to deny the allegations. The broadcaster, TV Asahi, sent a formal complaint letter about the treatment of its employee to the ministry on Thursday, and asked for an investigation into Fukuda’s conduct.
Aso, 77, told reporters at the Group of 20 meeting in Washington that the letter was “a formal statement from the company, and we must accept it properly.â€
When questioned further, he said: “As the complaint was only a single sheet of paper, my only thought was that it would have been easier to read if they had used a bigger font.†He added that a separate official would be dealing with the investigation.
