FUJITSU CHAIR RESIGNS FOLLOWING WOMAN-RELATED MISCONDUCT

Hidenori Furuta has resigned as chair of Fujitsu after the Japanese technology company's board became aware of his "woman-related inappropriate conduct". Furuta stepped down after two years in the role, effective 16 June. The company made the announcement via stock market filing on Tuesday. Fujitsu also withdrew Furuta's candidacy as a non-executive director at its forthcoming annual shareholders' meeting. A company spokesperson confirmed the misconduct was "woman-related" but declined to provide further details.

Furuta's departure marks the latest development surrounding Fujitsu, which supplied faulty software to the Post Office in the UK. The Horizon system created by Fujitsu led to thousands of post office operators being falsely accused of embezzling funds, with 900 individuals wrongfully convicted for theft and false accounting. Fujitsu admitted it had known since the 1990s that the system was faulty. The company is currently negotiating a settlement with the UK government but has not yet contributed towards the £1.5bn compensation bill for victims, which UK taxpayers have funded.

Furuta had been elevated to chair in 2024 after holding positions as chief operating officer, executive vice-president and chief technology officer at Fujitsu. As Japan's largest IT services company, Fujitsu plays a significant role in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's efforts to advance artificial intelligence capability and reduce dependence on the United States. The Post Office has contracted Accenture and OneView Commerce to implement a replacement accounting system for the Horizon platform.