Fujitsu chair resigns over ‘woman-related inappropriate conduct’
7 reported
The chair of Fujitsu, Hidenori Furuta, has resigned after the company's board became aware of his "woman-related inappropriate conduct," according to a stock market filing. The Japanese technology firm, which is at the center of the Post Office IT scandal, stated that Furuta stepped down as director as of June 16. Fujitsu has also withdrawn his candidacy as a non-executive director at its upcoming annual shareholders' meeting. A company spokesperson said there was "inappropriate conduct" that was "woman-related" but provided no further details, as reported by the Financial Times. Furuta, contacted by Reuters via LinkedIn, said, "The company statement speaks for itself." This resignation is the latest scandal for Fujitsu, which supplied faulty Horizon software to the UK Post Office, leading to wrongful convictions of post office operators.
What’s reported
Fujitsu chair Hidenori Furuta resigned after the board became aware of his "woman-related inappropriate conduct."
The company said in a stock market filing that the board "became aware of his inappropriate conduct and subsequently received a request from Mr Furuta to resign as director as of 16 June."
Fujitsu withdrew Furuta's candidacy as a non-executive director at its annual shareholders' meeting later this month.
A spokesperson said there was "inappropriate conduct" that was "woman-related," but gave no further details, per the Financial Times.
Furuta was elevated to chair in 2024 after serving as chief operating officer, executive vice-president, and chief technology officer at Fujitsu.
Fujitsu supplied faulty Horizon software to the UK Post Office, leading to 900 wrongful convictions for theft and false accounting.
The company is negotiating a settlement with the UK government but has not yet contributed to the £1.5bn compensation bill for victims.
Key figures
Hidenori Furuta, former chair of Fujitsu
Mikihito Saito, chair of the Japan Business Council in Europe and senior executive vice-president at Fujitsu
Shinji Aoyama, former executive vice-president at Honda
Takeshi Saito, former president of Eneos
Masahiro Nakai, former member of boyband Smap
Sources: The Guardian
