The Mayor of Yokohama issued a statement apologizing and admitting that he had insulted subordinates behind their backs with harsh terms such as "human scum" and "worthless speck of dust" after the head of human resources exposed his intolerable behavior, revealing he had even threatened to "disembowel himself" if he failed a national-level mission.
Takeharu Yamanaka, the 53-year-old mayor of Yokohama, admitted to the media on Friday (16 Jan) that he had indeed used vulgar language to insult subordinates and city council members behind their backs, pledging to better control his emotions and behavior going forward.
This scandal was revealed by Atsushi Kubota, head of human resources at Yokohama City Hall, who said he had been subjected to multiple verbal abuses. Kubota disclosed that in June 2023, while serving as head of the Foreign Affairs Department, Yamanaka told him, "If you fail to make Yokohama the host of the TICAD event, you must disembowel yourself," referring to the ancient ritual of seppuku.
Kubota also recounted that the mayor once made a gesture pointing his index finger at him like a gun, threatening, "If you betray me, this will happen to you." He added that Yamanaka frequently insulted subordinates and disliked individuals behind their backs with derogatory names such as "fatso," "ostrich," "human scum," and "worthless speck of dust."
Mayor Yamanaka expressed regret and apologized for causing suffering to employees, stating he plans to seek professional help to correct his behavior. However, he denied making the gun gesture and claimed that talking about "disembowelment" was merely a "demonstration of his commitment" to securing the city as host for the international conference.
Following the apology, Kubota responded, "Employees are not tools, and city council members are not former enemies. I hope the mayor understands the essence of this matter and accepts it."
Takeharu Yamanaka was formerly a professor at Yokohama City University School of Medicine before being first elected mayor in 2021. He was re-elected for a second term last August, after which weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun exposed his behavior, leading to this admission of fault.