YOKOHAMA - Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka plans to step down from his post, a source familiar with the matter said Friday, following allegations that he bullied and verbally assaulted subordinates.
Yamanaka, 53, signaled his intention to resign during a meeting with his supporters, according to a participant of the gathering. He had initially insisted he would not quit but came under pressure to do so not only from city assembly members but his supporters as well.
The mayor will hold a press conference at 4 p.m., the Yokohama city government said.
A senior city official, then head of the human resources department, publicly accused the mayor in a press conference in January of subjecting him personally to verbal abuse.
A third-party investigation report released in July found that Yamanaka had abused his authority on multiple occasions by bullying his subordinates and verbally assaulting them, using terms such as "human scum."
At a city assembly general affairs committee meeting earlier this month, Yamanaka apologized and stated that he accepted the report's findings, but expressed his intention to remain in office, saying he would "strive to restore citizens' trust."
