Taiwan’s “most beautiful village mayor” is making headlines in Japan after she kicked a sexual harasser in the groin while on vacation.
Ho Chi-ning, 27, who has 25,000 followers on her Instagram account @chihning2577, was elected village mayor of Hsinchu City, Taiwan in 2022.
She posted on social media that she was harassed by a man while visiting Tokyo on June 15 this year.
The man, who appeared to be drunk, approached Mr Ho outside Otsuka Station with a can of alcohol in hand and spoke to him in both Japanese and English.
Ho said he had hinted that he wanted to have sex with her, but she repeatedly said “no.”
She didn’t want to reveal the location of her hotel, so she went to a nearby bookstore to escape the man’s unwanted attention.
He said he followed Ms Ho to a bookshop, where the staff realised she was in trouble but made no attempt to help.
As Ms Ho tried to leave the store, the man grabbed her buttocks twice, to which Ms Ho responded by kicking the man in the groin.
Her video shows the man bent over and screaming in pain, still clutching a drink.
Mr Ho reported the incident to the police, who arrested the man on the spot for violating the anti-nuisance ordinance.
The incident was widely reported in Japan and China, and sparked laughter online.
“Well done, he deserves it,” one user commented on Weibo.
“Despite the pain of being kicked in the groin, he didn’t let go of the can,” another person said on YouTube.
Some Japanese people apologized for the actions of their harassers.
Known as Molester In Japanese, sexual harassment perpetrators are a national issue.
Under Japan’s anti-nuisance ordinance, violators can face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to 1 million yen (US$6,200), but many victims choose not to report suspects to the police.
In another Instagram post, Ho said her harasser was not Japanese, adding that she still loved Japan and intended to visit again.
Ms. He gained popularity in Taiwan during her run for village mayor, and was nicknamed “the most beautiful village mayor in Hsinchu” after she was elected.
