The mayor of Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture, has resigned after he was convicted last month of taking bribes in 2013 while serving as an assembly member.
Hiroto Fujii, 32, who became the youngest mayor in Japan in June 2013, has maintained his innocence, but the Nagoya High Court overturned a lower court acquittal late last month, sentencing him to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, with a ¥300,000 fine.
Fujii immediately appealed to the Supreme Court. Earlier this month, he told the municipal assembly that he planned to resign and run again for mayor in an election scheduled for Jan. 29.
According to the high court, Fujii received a total of ¥300,000 from a company president in connection with the installation of a water-cleaning system at a school in the city.
Fujii told the municipal assembly Monday that the deputy mayor will serve as acting mayor until the next election.