Yayoi Kimura, mayor of Tokyo's Koto Ward, said Thursday that she will resign from the post, after public prosecutors searched her office earlier this week for alleged violation of the public offices election law.
"As the investigation continues, I must not allow ward government affairs to stagnate any longer," Kimura told a news conference the same day as she vowed to quit apparently to take responsibility for the scandal. "I'm terribly sorry."
Kimura is suspected of involvement in the online posting of a paid advertisement asking people to vote for her in a mayoral election in April. The law prohibits such ads.
According to Kimura and others, the ad was shown on YouTube for five days during the campaign period for the mayoral election. It cost around ¥140,000 and garnered around 380,000 views.
At the news conference, Kimura declined to comment on whether she was aware of the illegality, only saying, "I can't tell you the details because the case is under investigation."
According to Koto Ward, Kimura's letter of resignation was submitted to the ward assembly chairmperson after the news conference and was accepted.
She will step down on Nov. 15. The electoral commission will be notified of her resignation within five days of receipt of the resignation letter and the election to pick her successor will be held within 50 days of that date.
Before becoming Koto mayor in April this year, Kimura served twice as a ruling Liberal Democratic Party member of Japan's House of Representatives.