Japanese Mayor Resigns Over Power Abuse Scandal... 13 Billion KRW Tax Burden for By-Election

Former Yokohama Mayor Resigns Amid Political Pressure
By-election to Be Held Within 50 Days; Costs to Be Covered by Citizens' Taxes

The mayor of Yokohama, Japan, who had repeatedly verbally abused and bullied his subordinates, has ultimately resigned. As a result, a by-election will be held to elect a new mayor, and Yokohama citizens will shoulder a tax burden estimated to be around 13 billion won (approximately 130 billion KRW).

According to Japanese media outlet Mainichi Shimbun on September 9 (local time), Takeharu Yamanaka, the 54-year-old former mayor of Yokohama, officially resigned after the resignation motion was unanimously approved at a plenary session of the city council held on September 7.

Yamanaka was elected mayor of Yokohama in 2021 after pledging to oppose the construction of an integrated resort complex, including a casino, in the city. He appeared to be on a successful path, winning re-election in August last year. However, the situation changed in January of this year when a senior city official filed a complaint against him for abuse of power.

Takeharu Yamanaka, former mayor of Yokohama. Photo by Yonhap News.

An investigation by the city authorities found that Yamanaka had engaged in verbal abuse and bullying, such as shouting at city employees and throwing documents at them. He was also reported to have made insulting remarks such as "human garbage" and "useless existence." Additionally, he contacted employees late at night or on holidays and, at times, prevented senior officials from entering the mayor's office.

After the report was released, several political parties, including the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, jointly called for Yamanaka’s resignation on August 14. Ultimately, Yamanaka expressed his intention to resign on August 28.

With the city council having accepted his resignation, Yokohama is now expected to hold an election to choose a new mayor within the next 50 days. The cost is expected to reach 1.5 billion yen (approximately 13.1 billion yen), which will be paid by citizens’ taxes.

Meanwhile, Yamanaka stated, "I did not fully consider the weight of my words and actions as mayor and how they might be perceived by others," adding, "Based on the results of the investigation, I felt I had to take responsibility for the stress my behavior caused city employees."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.