The plaintiff demands an apology and 2.1 million yen (15,000 dollars) in damages from the Bank of Japan and the 55-year-old bank official, who worked as head of the Kyoto branch in western Japan until April.

According to the complaint, the former branch manager forcefully kissed her and touched her breast at a members' club restaurant in the ancient capital of Kyoto in November last year.

The employee, whose name will be withheld until the trial starts, brought the lawsuit with the Kyoto District Court on Tuesday, the court officials said.

The complaint says she suffered mental damage leading to nausea and some loss of hearing. She is receiving medical treatment and plans to retire in late June due to poor health.

The branch manager retired in April after being reprimanded for the alleged sexual harassment,news reports said. A Bank of Japan spokesman refused to comment on the alleged reprimand.

The branch manager, whose name is also withheld, is now a board member of the Osaka Stock Exchange in western Japan.

The central bank and the former Bank of Japan official refused to comment on the case, saying they had not looked into the suit.

A senior official of the Bank of Japan was arrested in March for allegedly taking bribes in the form of lavish entertainment, the first such action against the central bank in its 116-year history.

The arrest led to the resignations of the bank's governor and deputy governor and 98 officials were punished for accepting lavish entertainment from commercial banks.