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Japan MP sexually harassed ice skater

A Japanese legislator and Olympic Committee official has apologised for “very imprudent” behaviour after she was criticised for sexually harassing a figure skating star.

Seiko Hashimoto, who is also president of the Japan Skating Federation, forced herself onto Daisuke Takahashi with repeated kisses during an alcohol-fuelled party after the Sochi Olympics in February, the Shukan Bunshun magazine reported this week.

The article came with photos of Hashimoto hugging and kissing 28-year-old Takahashi, one of the most popular athletes in Japan.

“I profoundly regret that my acts were very imprudent,” the 49-year-old mother of three said.

But Hashimoto, who was also a bronze medallist in speed skating at the 1992 Winter Games, denied the allegation of harassment.

Takahashi’s management team also said he was not harassed by Hashimoto, an upper house member from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party.

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