The mayor of Yokohama has apologized for insulting colleagues after an official publicly accused him of making offensive comments.
At a press conference, Jun Kubota says that Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka used terms like "idiot" and "human scum" to belittle employees.
It is rare in Japan for city officials to openly accuse the current mayor and demand an apology.
Yamanaka initially denied the allegations, but later admitted to some of them.
"I would like to sincerely apologize for putting a psychological burden on the HR director," he said.
At a press conference, Kubota accused Mayor Yamanaka of repeatedly making comments that could be considered workplace harassment.
The mayor was accused of calling officials "useless," "stupid," and "incompetent," as well as commenting on the appearance of his colleagues and comparing them to animals.
He was also accused of threatening Kubota that he would have to commit Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment - if he failed to secure a candidacy for an international conference.
Kubota demanded an apology from Yamanaka and called for an investigation.
Yamanaka initially released a statement on his website denying the allegations.
But on Friday he publicly acknowledged some of the remarks, such as using words like "idiot" and "human scum," and apologized.
"I'm thinking about this. I'll be more careful with my words and behavior," Yamanaka said.
He said those comments were made during discussions about employee performance evaluations.
However, the mayor denied other accusations, such as insulting the appearance of colleagues.
Yamanaka said an investigation under the supervision of the deputy mayor was being considered, and added that he would cooperate "sincerely" if an investigation were carried out.
"The mayor doesn't understand anything. I can't accept that as an apology."
"I want it to change," Kubota said, adding that the mayor made some remarks for which he did not apologize.
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