Air force academy head fired over alleged sexual harassment

Friday 14th November, 02:00 PM JST

TOKYO —

The head of an Air Self-Defense Force academy was sacked in September over allegations of sexual harassment against one of his female deputies, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Friday.

The scandal involving ASDF Maj Gen Kesayoshi Miyashita emerged at a time when the Defense Ministry has recently come under fire over the release of a controversial essay on Japan’s role in World War II by dismissed ASDF Chief of Staff Gen Toshio Tamogami.

According to ministry officials, Miyashita, 55, was removed from the post of principal of the ASDF’s 1st Technical School on Sept 18 over suspicions that he sexually harassed the woman. Miyashita, now in the ministry’s Air Staff Office, admitted to the allegations, they said.

The ministry has started the procedure to reprimand the major general immediately after it received a report on the allegations Sept. 17 but has yet to decide on the punishment.

Miyashita became the head of the school in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in September last year, they said.

Hamada declined to go into details, telling a press conference, ‘‘We need to consider the privacy of the harassed woman,’’ and added, ‘‘Our fact-finding is still under way.’‘

The ministry failed to make the dismissal public even though it usually announces changes in personnel involving senior ranking officers.

Hamada, who became defense minister six days after Miyashita’s dismissal, admitted that he was unaware of the scandal until Thursday evening.

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Latest 15 of 23 Total Comments Show All

Stonecoldsoba at 04:07 PM JST - 14th November

ALHQQ:

Not legal, I believe, but all too often b-all is done about it, probably due to some combination of the difficulty of proving anything and some idea that there isn't really anything wrong with it so the law needn't be enforced.
Ninjazilla at 04:22 PM JST - 14th November

the hits just keep on coming from the ASDF.
nandakandamanda at 04:34 PM JST - 14th November

Not just a coincidence. I bet this had been going on for a very long time. The female deputy must have sensed a change in the wind direction recently, and judged that the time was now ripe/right for her to make her complaint.
ptolemy at 04:36 PM JST - 14th November

What do they put into the water at ASDF bases?
Alongdriver at 04:44 PM JST - 14th November

Kick the Japanese military out of Japan. All they do is cause problems. Return the land to the rightful inhabitants. They cause more problems than solutions. We don't need their protection.
seesaw at 05:22 PM JST - 14th November

sexual harassments & power harrassments are getting attention in Japan ...though very minor ones...I for sure will not let those arses take advantage on me....:)
Schoolboyerror at 08:07 PM JST - 14th November

Total lack of social skills, perverted porn epidemic, years of treating women like dirt = Japanese men believing they have a licence to touch any woman they feel like.
thundercat at 08:44 PM JST - 14th November

15 posts and not one 'innocent until proven guilty' claims. Guess we only hear that declaration when it has to do with American military members. Shouldn't this guy get the benefit of the doubt since these are only 'allegations'?
Schoolboyerror at 09:04 PM JST - 14th November

According to the article, he has admitted to the allegations.
chardk1 at 09:33 PM JST - 14th November

The guy admitted to harassing the woman, and they didn't arrest him, they fired him from his job. "Innocent until proven guilty" is a concept of American criminal procedure that applies to civilians, not HR guidelines for officers in the Japanese military. I suppose you also think his right to free expression was infringed.
yosun at 12:23 AM JST - 15th November

Air Self-Defense Force : We are sorry for our improper behavior. but you know we have been holding for 60 years since we don't have comfort women any more...
CaptDingleheimer at 12:39 AM JST - 15th November

Is it possible to put a Japanese guy in a position of power without him thinking he's some big king who can do whatever he wants?
romulus3 at 12:57 AM JST - 15th November

Is it possible to put a Japanese guy in a position of power without him thinking he's some big king who can do whatever he wants?

dunno, ask George Bush and Dick Chenney.
kjunluc2 at 01:32 AM JST - 15th November

Rom3: It has been that way since caveman first developed a cerebral cortex.
thundercat at 03:48 PM JST - 17th November

schoolboyerror,

no it doesn't.