A mayor in Japan is under fire after admitting to having checked into hotels over 10 times with a married male subordinate.
Akira Ogawa, 41, Maebashi city mayor, gave a press conference after news broke of the check-ins, with the report claiming she had checked into a "love hotel" with the subordinate.
She admitted to visiting hotels with the employee, but insisted that there was no romantic relationship.
According to The Mainichi, she said she had visited hotels with the employee over 10 times since February 2025.
Chosun Daily quoted her as saying that this was to "avoid scrutiny and discuss work comfortably".
They had earlier met at restaurants instead.
The male employee had reportedly suggested going to hotels instead.
Ogawa also clarified that she had covered the hotel expenses out of her own pocket.
At the news conference, Ogawa insisted that she had not had an affair with her subordinate, but said she deeply regretted her "indiscreet actions" that had caused a misunderstanding.
In a closed-door briefing with council members, Ogawa expressed her desire to carry on in her role.
This post has been edited by galkelly: Sep 29 2025, 03:06 PM
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Japanese Mayor: ‘No romantic feelings or sexual relationship’; Ogawa provides explanation to assembly members Japan Friday, 03 Oct 2025 11:57 AM MYT
MAEBASHI, Japan: Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa denied that she had romantic feelings for a married male employee, with whom she is said to have made multiple visits to hotels, in an explanation of the scandal to all 38 city assembly members on Thursday (Oct 2).
The explanation was held behind closed doors, except for the opening remarks. According to Chairman Kimitaka Tomita, Ogawa reiterated that there were “no romantic feelings or sexual relations” between her and the employee.
The assembly members asked a series of questions about whether she intended to resign. However, “she unfortunately didn’t indicate whether she would,” Tomita said. “She should make a decision as soon as possible.”
After the explanation, Ogawa, 42, spoke with reporters about her future, saying, “I would like to take time to consult with my supporters and lawyers while listening to the citizens’ voices.”
Meanwhile, Ogawa also revealed that she issued a transfer order to the male employee on Sept. 25, demoting him at his own request. She said that she would “respond with sincerity” to the employee and his family. - The Japan News/ANN
Akira Ogawa (left), mayor of Maebashi, receives a document from seven city assembly factions urging her to quit, in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture on Nov. 13. | JIJI
MAEBASHI, GUNMA PREF. – Akira Ogawa, mayor of Maebashi, the capital of Gunma Prefecture, plans to step down following a scandal involving her "love hotel" visits with a married male city employee.
Kimitaka Tomita, speaker of the city's assembly, told reporters Tuesday that Ogawa submitted a resignation letter to him. The assembly was all but certain to adopt a motion of no confidence in the mayor in a plenary meeting on Thursday, the first day of a regular session.
"I appreciate to a certain extent that (Ogawa) made the decision" to step down, Tomita said.
In September, Ogawa admitted to visiting a love hotel more than 10 times while knowing that the male city employee was married. She said there was no romantic relationship between them, claiming that they were at the hotel to talk about problems in her public duties and private life.
The city assembly had been putting pressure on the mayor over the scandal, arguing that she was undermining the city's image.
Ogawa worked as a lawyer and as a Gunma Prefectural Assembly member before defeating the then-incumbent mayor in the 2024 Maebashi mayoral election.
Maebashi Mayor Resigns amid Hotel Scandal Nov 27, 2025 17:02 (JST)
Maebashi, Gunma Pref., Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)--Akira Ogawa, mayor of Maebashi, the capital of Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, is set to resign on Thursday following a scandal involving repeated visits to a hotel with a married male subordinate.
At a plenary meeting the same day, the city assembly with 38 seats and one vacancy unanimously approved the resignation of Ogawa, 42.
"It was a tough decision I made after much deliberation," she told the meeting. "I decided that it would be best to take responsibility for my actions by leaving the mayor's office."
She submitted the resignation to the assembly leader, Kimitaka Tomita, on Tuesday.
Under the public offices election law, a mayoral election must be held within 50 days from the day after the local assembly head, who has received an offer of resignation, notifies the local election board. Ogawa has expressed interest in running for the mayoralty again.
Former Maebashi Mayor Ogawa Announces Candidacy for Mayoral Election, Vowing ‘I’ll Change Maebashi Once More, No Matter the Headwinds’ The Yomiuri Shimbun 17:02 JST, December 17, 2025
Former Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa speaks during a press conference announcing her candidacy for the upcoming mayoral election in the city on Wednesday - The Yomiuri Shimbun
Former Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa, who resigned over an affair involving multiple hotel visits with a married male employee, formally announced her candidacy on Wednesday for the mayoral election scheduled for Jan. 12.
Ogawa, 42, held a press conference in the city, saying, “I will change Maebashi once again, no matter the headwinds. To that end, I have resolved to stake my life on this challenge and run for mayor again.”
Ex-mayor of Japan's Maebashi who quit over 'love hotel' rendezvous to run again December 17, 2025 (Mainichi Japan)
Akira Ogawa responds to media inquiries following the Maebashi Municipal Assembly's acceptance of her resignation as mayor, on Nov. 27, 2025. (Mainichi/Sakae Kato)
MAEBASHI -- The former mayor of Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, who resigned over a scandal involving "love hotel" rendezvous with a city employee, has announced her intention to run in the upcoming mayoral election, it was revealed Dec. 15.
The start of the official election campaign is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026, and voting on Jan. 12. Akira Ogawa, 42, will compete against a former city assembly member backed by the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and a lawyer, both of whom have already declared their candidacy, as she seeks to return to office.
Ogawa, who has a background as a lawyer and Gunma Prefectural Assembly member, was first elected in the February 2024 mayoral election. She defeated an independent incumbent endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, becoming the first female mayor of the prefectural capital.
In September this year, reports surfaced of her visiting a love hotel with the then secretary section chief, and she admitted to meeting him there at least 10 times but denied any romantic involvement. She initially intended to continue in her role with a 50% salary reduction but resigned at the end of November amid criticism from the city assembly and others.
In the mayoral race, Akira Maruyama, a 39-year-old lawyer, and Setsuko Tanahashi, a 64-year-old former city councilor backed by the JCP, have both announced their candidacies as independent newcomers.
(Japanese original by Sakae Kato, Maebashi Bureau)
Sep 29 2025, 02:11 PM, updated 3 months ago
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