The top bureaucrat at the Finance Ministry said Monday he plans to sue a weekly magazine after it alleged he repeatedly harassed several female journalists with sexually suggestive language.
"I don't think I uttered unpleasant words to a female reporter that can be labeled as sexual harassment," Administrative Vice Minister Junichi Fukuda said in a statement.
The ministry, meanwhile, said it will ask an independent lawyer to continue investigating the allegations made by Shukan Shincho magazine and Fukuda's denials.