GUNMA (TR) – Aki Ogawa, the mayor of Maebashi City, denied allegations of adultery at a news convention held on Wednesday, experiences Nippon News Network (Sep. 24).
An on-line news web site reported that Ogawa, 41, on a number of events this 12 months met at a love resort with a married male subordinate whereas on official enterprise.
“Regarding the online article about me, I would like to offer my deepest apologies to the citizens, employees, and the families of the employee for the great inconvenience it has caused. I am truly sorry,” she stated.
Ogawa is single. She admitted to visiting inns with the married male worker greater than 10 occasions, however defined that there was no romantic relationship.
“It is true that I visited a hotel multiple times with the employee,” she stated. “Though there was no romantic relationship, I deeply regret my reckless actions, which has led to misunderstandings.”
Heavy rain
Ogawa stated that her first rendezvous with the subordinate was “around February or March.” She added that the conferences weren’t often held. “I go when I have a problem or need advice,” she stated.
One assembly occurred on September 10, when heavy rain fell throughout Gunma Prefecture and the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain warning.
“In terms of crisis management, if there’s a risk of an alert, I’ll wait at home,” she stated. “But on that day, there wasn’t anything particularly like that, so I was prepared to be contacted at any time, just like normal. I was in a position where I could rush over if anything happened, so I thought there was no problem.”
Ogawa admitted utilizing official autos for the clandestine conferences.
“I’ve had official vehicles from city hall to drop me off at parking lots, and other times I’ve even driven my own car, and on my days off I’ve even driven my own car,” she stated.
She admitted that she typically used official autos to get to assembly places, and defined that she paid for resort stays out of her personal pocket.
Heavy rain
Ogawa, who was elected in February of final 12 months, is a lawyer and former prefectural meeting member. She is Maebashi City’s first feminine mayor.
“I believe this victory is a victory for the citizens,” she stated upon her election to workplace.
On her first day in workplace, she stated, “I feel a heavy responsibility has been placed on me to protect the lives, livelihoods, and future of our 330,000 citizens.”
When requested why she selected to satisfy with the subordinate at inns, she stated, “I consulted with this employee on both my personal and professional matters, I had concerns that I couldn’t share with special-class employees or other employees, and he was the person I communicated with most.
The pair met in other locations as well.
“During the day, I had official duties and rarely had time to talk, so I would consult with him in my private time at restaurants or karaoke booths,” she stated. “However, in restaurants or karaoke booths, the public’s eyes were on me and specific conversations were limited. We wondered if there was somewhere more comfortable for us to talk, and we discussed the possibility of a hotel.”
She acknowledged that the situation of the session was “extremely inappropriate, and I deeply regret my reckless actions that could have been misunderstood.”
When requested why her workplace wasn’t an possibility, she stated, “I didn’t want to show my crying or emotional state in City Hall, as I was worried about what people would think if I spent a long time with this particular employee.”