Stefan Johansson, state secretary to Finland's equality minister, admitted to touching several women's chests at a reception held at the embassy in connection with a book fair in the city, The Local reported Thursday.

"I am deeply regretful, since my judgment -- as a result of inebriation and fatigue -- led me to behave in a way that I myself cannot accept," Johansson said in a statement.

Swedish People's Party officials were informed during a meeting Thursday that Johansson, a member of their party, had stepped down.

"What happened at the embassy party was not the sort of surreptitious groping that is difficult to define. It was straight-to-the-point blatant groping," said Ny Tid magazine editor Solveig Arle, who attended the event.

"And then there's Johansson's job title. What does this say about equality in Finland if there's not even a basic understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment at the ministry in question?" she said.