Former Female Employee Furiously Accuses … “Malicious Sexual Harassment” at Sakura Akimoto’s Fine French Restaurant in Midtown Hibiya

It was like a dream at first to be able to work at the restaurant of the chef of my dreams. And yet, I never thought I would have to leave the restaurant in this way. ……”

It was revealed that employees at the popular French restaurant “Morceau” in Hibiya, Tokyo, had resigned one after another due to sexual harassment problems.

The restaurant was opened in Meguro, Tokyo in 2009 by a female chef, Sakura Akimoto, at the age of 29, together with her husband, sommelier Mr. X. (The restaurant moved to “Tokyo Midtown Hibiya” in 2006. The restaurant was popular because it offered the cuisine of a famous chef who has appeared in numerous media, including NHK’s “Asa Ichi” program.

In fact, however, sexual harassment by Mr. X, a co-owner, was rampant in this popular French restaurant. A former employee of the restaurant, Ms. A, is one of the victims.

I started working here in January of this year. When I had just started working there, a female staff member advised me to be careful because Mr. X had a terrible habit of sexually harassing me. I didn’t think it was possible, but as I worked, I felt uncomfortable with Mr. X’s words and actions. Before the restaurant opened, I was in the kitchen doing some prep work when Mr. X came up next to me ……. At first we talked about work, but gradually he started to close the distance and touched my arm and waist. When we took breaks together in the backyard, he even told me that he liked Mr. A and that his face was my type.”

Ms. A tried to get help, but Mr. Akimoto, the chef, turned a blind eye to the sexual harassment.

In early March of this year, a farewell party was held for a staff member who was retiring. When I was seated next to Mr. X at a table with a sunken kotatsu, he laughed and touched my thigh. When I quickly moved away, Mr. X said in a loud voice, ‘Next to me, you don’t like it that much?’ He reprimanded me. Unable to move, I had no choice but to sit next to him, and Mr. X touched my thighs and arms again. …… Chef Sakura was sitting right in front of me and just laughed and watched.”

Mr. X’s sexual harassment was also perpetrated against employees other than Ms. A. “Mr. X sexually harassed my co-worker B,” Ms. A. said.

When I discussed Mr. X’s sexual harassment with my co-worker, Ms. B, I found out that he had done worse to her in the past: he invited her out to dinner, hugged and kissed her in a private room. He said, ‘I can have sexual intercourse with B. When would you like to have sexual intercourse? When is a good time? He also told her the color of his underwear and his experience. Other times, he asked her the color of her underwear and the number of people she had slept with, or opened the door to the locker room while she was changing. …… There are several staff members who say they have been sexually harassed in this way.

In mid-March of this year, two female staff members, including Ms. A, who complained of sexual harassment, and a male staff member who said he could not tolerate sexual harassment, submitted their resignation letters.

Ms. A then filed a claim for damages against “Moruso” through the Workers Union for the sexual harassment she had been subjected to on a daily basis. In response, Mr. Akimoto’s attorney admitted that “there were words and actions that could not be denied as sexual harassment,” and offered a settlement of 300,000 yen, but Ms. A refused to accept the settlement.

I decided to file a sexual harassment complaint so that similar harm would not happen again.”

In late May, we directly interviewed Mr. Akimoto before he left for work to find out how he would refute Ms. A’s allegations,

I asked him in late May before he went to work, but all he said was, “I have nothing to say to you.

Later that day, Mr. Akimoto’s representative asked me to speak to Mr. Akimoto’s representative. Later, in a letter sent to us through his attorney, he made a complete change from the letter he had exchanged with Ms. A, denying any sexual harassment, as follows

There is no sexual harassment at all. We have confirmed this by interviewing all parties involved, including the employee.

Ms. A’s complaint that she was betrayed by her trusted chef, and Mr. and Mrs. Akimoto’s insistence that the allegations are completely untrue. How will this sexual harassment case end?

From the June 16-23, 2023 issue of FRIDAY