The company knew the software was broken since the 1990s
Hidenori Furuta, chair of Fujitsu — Japan's largest IT services company — resigned on June 16, 2026, after the board uncovered what it termed woman-related inappropriate conduct, withdrawing his candidacy for shareholder reelection. His departure arrives not in isolation but against the long shadow of the Post Office Horizon scandal, in which Fujitsu's faulty software contributed to nearly 900 wrongful convictions and a £1.5 billion taxpayer-funded compensation bill the company has yet to share. In a moment when Japan's corporate culture is slowly reckoning with the treatment of women in professional and social spaces, and when Fujitsu itself is negotiating its moral and financial debt to thousands of ruined lives in Britain, the resignation of its chair reminds us that institutional credibility, once fractured, rarely breaks along a single line.
- Fujitsu's board discovered misconduct of an unspecified but serious nature involving its chair, forcing a resignation that the company confirmed but declined to explain.
- The departure lands on a company already hemorrhaging credibility — its Horizon software wrongfully destroyed the livelihoods of nearly 900 post office workers, with thousands more falsely accused, and Fujitsu has yet to contribute a single pound to the £1.5 billion compensation fund.
- Settlement negotiations with the UK government continue, but victims remain in limbo as Fujitsu — which admitted knowing the system was broken since the 1990s — has not been compelled to pay.
- Japan's corporate world is undergoing a slow, painful reckoning with executive misconduct toward women, with high-profile resignations at Honda, Eneos, and Fuji TV forming the backdrop to Furuta's exit.
- Fujitsu's strategic importance to Japan's AI ambitions under Prime Minister Takaichi means the company cannot afford to retreat from public life — making its compounding scandals all the more consequential.
On June 16, 2026, Hidenori Furuta stepped down as chair of Fujitsu after two years in the role, following the board's discovery of what the company described only as "woman-related inappropriate conduct." His resignation was filed through a stock market announcement, and his candidacy for reelection at the upcoming shareholders' meeting was withdrawn. When reached for comment, Furuta offered nothing beyond a reference to the company statement.
The timing could hardly be worse for Fujitsu. The company remains at the center of Britain's Post Office Horizon scandal — a years-long catastrophe in which its faulty accounting software led to nearly 900 wrongful criminal convictions and the false accusation of thousands of post office operators. The British government has committed £1.5 billion in compensation to victims, funded entirely by taxpayers. Fujitsu, despite acknowledging it knew the Horizon system was defective as early as the 1990s, has contributed nothing. Settlement talks with the UK government are ongoing, and the Post Office has only now begun replacing Horizon, awarding contracts to Accenture and OneView Commerce for a new platform.
Furuta's exit fits a pattern emerging across Japan's executive class. In recent years, senior figures at Honda, Eneos, and Fuji TV have all lost their positions following allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women — the most prominent being the sexual assault allegations against former pop star Masahiro Nakai, which triggered an advertiser boycott against Fuji TV. Japan's corporate culture is being forced, slowly, to confront conduct it long tolerated in silence.
Furuta had climbed steadily through Fujitsu's ranks — chief operating officer, executive vice-president, chief technology officer — before becoming chair in 2024. He had recently joined the Japan-EU Business Round Table in Brussels, signaling ambitions beyond the domestic stage. Now, as Fujitsu navigates misconduct scrutiny at home and unresolved moral obligations in Britain, the company's role as the cornerstone of Japan's AI strategy under Prime Minister Takaichi makes its credibility crisis impossible to contain.
Hidenori Furuta, who had led Fujitsu as chair for two years, stepped down on Tuesday after the company's board discovered what it described as "woman-related inappropriate conduct." The Japanese technology giant announced his resignation through a stock market filing, noting that Furuta himself had requested to leave the role as of June 16. The board also withdrew his candidacy for reelection at the company's shareholders' meeting scheduled for later in the month. A spokesperson confirmed the misconduct was real but offered no elaboration on its nature or circumstances.
The timing of Furuta's departure compounds an already severe reputational crisis for Fujitsu. The company sits at the center of one of Britain's most damaging corporate scandals: it supplied faulty software called Horizon to the Post Office, a system that malfunctioned for years while the organization blamed its operators for the discrepancies. The consequences were devastating. Nearly 900 post office workers were wrongfully convicted of theft and false accounting. Thousands more were falsely accused of embezzling funds. The British government has committed £1.5 billion to compensate the victims—money that has come from taxpayers, not from Fujitsu, despite the company's admission that it knew the Horizon system was broken as far back as the 1990s.
Fujitsu is currently in settlement negotiations with the UK government over its role in the scandal, but those talks have not yet resulted in the company contributing any funds toward the compensation bill. Meanwhile, the Post Office is finally moving to replace the Horizon system entirely. Accenture and OneView Commerce have won contracts to build and implement a new accounting platform, marking the end of a system that destroyed lives and careers.
Furuta's departure reflects a broader pattern in Japan's corporate world. Several high-profile executives have lost their positions in recent years following allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women. Shinji Aoyama, an executive vice-president at Honda, resigned just over a year ago after accusations of misconduct at a social gathering outside work. Takeshi Saito, president of Japan's largest oil refiner Eneos, was dismissed in 2023 for alleged misconduct at a company event where he was intoxicated. The most visible case involved Masahiro Nakai, a former member of the boyband Smap and a prominent television personality, who faced allegations of sexual assault at a private dinner in June 2023 arranged by a senior Fuji TV executive. That scandal triggered an advertiser boycott and forced a public apology from the network.
Furuta had risen through Fujitsu's ranks, serving as chief operating officer, executive vice-president, and chief technology officer before being promoted to chair in 2024. He had recently joined the Japan-EU Business Round Table in Brussels, positioning himself as part of Japan's effort to strengthen ties with Europe. When contacted by Reuters through LinkedIn, Furuta offered only a terse response: "The company statement speaks for itself."
Fujitsu's position in Japan's economy makes this moment particularly significant. As the nation's largest IT services company, it plays a central role in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's strategy to advance Japan's artificial intelligence capabilities and reduce dependence on American technology. The company's credibility, already damaged by the Post Office debacle, now faces fresh scrutiny as it navigates both a misconduct investigation at home and ongoing negotiations over compensation for victims abroad.
Notable Quotes
The company statement speaks for itself— Hidenori Furuta, when contacted by Reuters
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Fujitsu's internal misconduct matter now, when the Post Office scandal is already public?
Because the company is in the middle of negotiating how much it owes for destroying hundreds of lives. A chair stepping down for misconduct sends a signal about the organization's culture and judgment—it raises questions about whether this is a company that can be trusted to do right by victims.
Has Fujitsu paid anything yet toward the £1.5 billion?
Not a pound. The government is footing the entire bill while Fujitsu negotiates. The company admitted it knew the software was faulty since the 1990s, but that knowledge hasn't translated into financial responsibility.
What's the pattern you're seeing with Japanese executives and misconduct?
It's not new, but it's becoming visible in ways it wasn't before. Honda, Eneos, Fuji TV—these are major institutions. The Masahiro Nakai case was especially damaging because he's a cultural figure, not just a businessman. It suggests something about accountability finally catching up.
Does Furuta's resignation actually change anything for Post Office victims?
Not directly. But it's another crack in Fujitsu's armor during settlement talks. The company can't claim to be a stable, trustworthy partner when its leadership is imploding over internal conduct issues.
What happens to Fujitsu now?
It still has to negotiate with the UK government, still has to figure out its role in Japan's AI strategy, and now has to rebuild trust in its own governance. The Horizon system is finally being replaced, which is something. But the company's reputation—both in Britain and at home—is severely damaged.