Yokohama mayor signals intention to step down amid bullying allegations

Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, 53, announced his plan to vacate the mayoralty after a third-party investigation determined he repeatedly bullied and verbally assaulted subordinates, including calling them "human scum." The findings, released in July, prompted criticism from city assembly members and his own supporters, leading him to signal his resignation during a gathering of his backers. Earlier, a senior city official, then head of human resources, had publicly accused the mayor of personal verbal abuse in January.

Yamanaka apologized at a recent city assembly committee meeting, accepted the report’s conclusions, and said he would work to restore public trust, but maintained his intention to step down. The city government scheduled a press conference for 4 p.m. to discuss the matter further.