Yokohama, Jan 17 (V7N) — In a rare political controversy in Japan, Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka has issued a public apology after allegations that he insulted colleagues, including the city’s human resources chief, Jun Kubota.

The controversy arose after Kubota accused Mayor Yamanaka of using derogatory terms such as “stupid,” “ineffective,” and “human scum” to describe him and other city officials. The complaint also alleged that the mayor made insulting remarks about colleagues’ appearances, even comparing them to animals. Kubota described the comments as workplace harassment and called for a public apology and impartial investigation.

Initially, Mayor Yamanaka denied all allegations on his personal website. However, on Friday, he admitted to some of the comments and apologized, saying:
"I am sincerely sorry. I caused emotional stress to the human resources director through these comments."

The mayor clarified that the remarks were made during discussions on employee evaluations and denied insulting colleagues’ faces. He also stated that a formal investigation may be conducted under the supervision of the deputy mayor and promised full cooperation.

Despite the apology, Kubota said he could not accept it, claiming that the mayor had also made comments he refused to acknowledge.

Such public disputes between a top city official and a serving mayor are extremely rare in Japanese politics, making this incident particularly notable.

END/SMA/AJ