The Foreign Ministry will replace Japan's ambassador to Croatia, Yoshio Tamura, after a ministry report concluded he sexually harassed a young female employee at the embassy, but will not take any disciplinary action, government officials said Thursday.
Removing him from his post will be included in a broader personnel reshuffle expected to be announced Dec. 20.
In April last year, Tamura had "physical contact" with a Croatian woman in her 20s who had just been employed by the embassy, when the two were in the back seat of a car while on official business, sources said without elaborating.
Tamura, who was named ambassador to Croatia in March 2009, subsequently repeated his advances, and the woman lodged a sexual harassment complaint.
A Foreign Ministry official was then sent to the embassy Jan. 18 to investigate the allegations, and compiled a report that concluded the ambassador did sexually harass the woman. Tamura has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.