The government on Tuesday decided to require senior officials to undergo training aimed at preventing sexual harassment and make such courses mandatory for promotion following a string of revelations of inappropriate behavior involving high-ranking bureaucrats.

Such programs are currently offered to newly promoted staff in supervisory roles, but a government panel headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided to expand their scope to include higher-ranking officials.

Seiko Noda, minister in charge of women's empowerment, had proposed the introduction of legislation to penalize those responsible for sexual harassment, but the government panel shelved discussions on that matter.