Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka canceled her attendance at an international conference after being accused of bullying subordinates

(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 21st Comprehensive Foreign News Report) Takeharu Yamanaka, the mayor of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, was found to have bullied his subordinates in a serious manner. Relevant sources said that he was originally scheduled to participate in an international conference hosted by the Yokohama City Government next month, but later canceled the trip to prevent participants from canceling the trip.

Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and Sankei Shimbun reported today that after receiving a real-name complaint, the Yokohama city government entrusted an external investigation committee composed of lawyers to investigate Yamanaka's suspected power bullying.

The investigative committee report compiled last month determined that Yamanaka's behavior was serious bullying, such as yelling at city employees, throwing documents on the table, and once threatening to commit suicide "if he fails to successfully win the right to host (an international conference)." This also led the three main factions of the city council (political groups composed of members who share the same philosophy in the council) to demand Yamanaka's resignation.

Next month, the Yokohama City Government will host for the first time an international conference with the theme of realizing a circular society. It is estimated that there will be about 1,000 participants, mainly from 30 cities in Asia. Yamanaka is also expected to participate in the opening ceremony as the host.

However, relevant sources in the city government stated that they have received many reports mentioning bullying incidents in the mountains, and advocated that "this is related to human rights, and they will pay attention to the city's relevant responses."

After evaluating the response measures, the Yokohama City Government decided to replace the mayor with Deputy Mayor Jun Matsuura to attend the international conference to avoid participants from canceling their trips or being affected by the incident due to their participation.

The Yokohama City Government said, "This is a decision made taking into account the relevant impacts. However, the concept and significance of the meeting have not changed, and we will continue to prepare to hold the meeting." This international conference is the Asia-Pacific Circular Cities Forum (APCC-Forum) and will be held at the Yokohama International Peace Conference from September 2 to September 4.

The investigation committee investigated 10 matters based on the employees' complaints, and 9 of them were determined to be bullying by Yamanaka. He once pointed at a staff member as if he was going to shoot him, which was considered an act of intimidation by the investigation committee. The investigation also found that Yamanaka had also yelled at or glared at other staff members.