Creative accused of sexual harassment resigns in Japan

Yuki Kishi, a former Dentsu executive creative director, resigned this week from the company he founded following allegations of power and sexual harassment by a former colleague.

According to a detailed report by BuzzFeed Japan, Haruka Ito, a former Dentsu employee who is now an independent writer and popular blogger known as 'Haachuu', was the victim of sexual and power harassment while working at the company.

The report named Kishi as the perpetrator. Kishi established his own company, Tokikitaru in April.
 

Haruka Ito (image from Ito's Line Blog)

In addition to Ito’s testimony, the article included comments from multiple Dentsu employees and suggested others also suffered harassment.

In response, Kishi resigned as representative director of Tokikitaru, issuing a statement that expressed regret for making a “big noise” through inappropriate personal behaviour and taking responsibility for inconveniencing clients and business partners.

The #MeToo movement has been slow to take off in Japan, but has the potential to impact multiple industries. One female advertising industry observer in Japan predicted more cases would arise and said harassment was a national issue.