Japan’s Defense Ministry says three senior officials of its administrative division have been suspended from duty or given pay cuts for power harassment of their subordinates.
This is the first disciplinary action for members of the ministry’s administrative Internal Bureaus.
The ministry launched a special inquiry into harassment in 2022 after a former Ground Self-Defense Force member filed a complaint against several men in the same unit who she said had sexually harassed her.
Last year, 245 people, including Self-Defense Force members, were punished for sexual or power harassment.
A separate survey was conducted for the administrative division. Three senior officials in their 50s were found to have committed harassment that included verbal abuse.
One of them was reported to have regularly made intimidating remarks to staff, inflicting mental anguish and worsening the work environment. This official was suspended from work for nine days.
The two other officials received pay cuts for worsening the work environment through overbearing language and behavior.