The mayor of Komae, western Tokyo, was asked by members of the city assembly Monday to call in outsiders to investigate allegations that he sexually harassed female workers at the municipal office.

In a letter addressed to Komae Mayor Kunihiko Takahashi, the six assembly members demanded that a third-party investigation into the allegations be carried out.

Takahashi has denied the accusations, saying, "I want to fulfill my accountability and clear up the misunderstanding."

The Japanese Communist Party requested access to and obtained a document on the sexual harassment allegations reported by municipal office workers, one of whom complained that the mayor touched her buttocks in an elevator while another said he forced her to drink from a glass he had already used.

Although the name of the accused party was blacked out in the document, some female workers told the party during its own investigation that the mayor had touched them, the JCP said.

Takahashi is currently serving his second term and was first elected in June 2012.