This is incredibly rare these days! We’ve obtained an audio recording of abusive remarks by a mayor from Ibaraki known for extreme workplace harassment

Numerous instances of damage

“I’m not going to let this slide once the election’s over. I’m putting up with it during the campaign, but (omitted) I’m not going to stay quiet. If it’s the Japan Youth Society, I’ll have headquarters speak out.”

“I’ll crush them. It won’t be me who crushes them—it’ll be Sumiyoshi.”

Audio recordings obtained by this magazine contained abusive language reminiscent of old-school underground V-cinema. While the content of the abuse was shocking in itself, what was most shocking was that the person making these threats—mentioning the names of Japan’s largest right-wing organization and a designated organized crime group—is currently the head of a local government in Japan.

Tone is a town of 15,000 people located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture. This peaceful town, blessed with abundant natural beauty, is now in turmoil.

The “election” mentioned in the opening remarks—following the mayoral election in July ’25, Mayor Seiichiro Yamazaki (67), the owner of the voice, took office.The recording is part of a conversation from June ’24, when Mayor Yamazaki confided to an influential town council member his intention to run for mayor.

Since taking office, Mayor Yamazaki has faced an unprecedented series of legal challenges, including successive criminal complaints filed against him for the publication of false information (related to the audio clip at the beginning), as well as charges of intimidation and obstruction of official duties.

Yuichi Ogoshi (65), Chairman of the Tone Town Council, who filed criminal complaints against the mayor for intimidation and obstruction of official duties, is outraged.

“Mayor Yamazaki’s personality is exactly as reflected in the audio recording—he frequently flies into a rage. In August of ’26, he lost his temper at me during a committee meeting regarding the sale of the site of a former elementary school in town. As soon as the committee chair asked why the mayor was so focused on the sale, he snapped, ‘What grounds do you have for that?’‘Where and what did I do? Tell me,’ he said, gradually getting more heated. After exploding—banging on the desk and shouting, ‘Apologize for being rude. Apologize,’ ‘Don’t mess with me,’ and ‘Don’t run away’—he came over to my seat and whispered in my ear, ‘You coward, you bastard. You can’t even fight.“You wanna fight? Come outside!” he snarled. What’s more, after that, he even went so far as to circle behind me and pretend to stab me in the head with a ballpoint pen.”

Parts of this exchange are clearly recorded in the committee minutes.

Mr. A, the former head of the Finance Division at the Tone Town Hall, reveals the power harassment he suffered in the mayor’s office.

“I, too, was on the receiving end of a furious outburst regarding the sale of the former elementary school site. At the end of February ’26, during a hearing to prepare responses for general questions in the town assembly, I reported procedural irregularities on the part of the developer.In response, the mayor banged on his desk—bang, bang, bang!—and yelled, ‘I’m going to sue you! It’s over—get out!’ After that, the mayor began ignoring me, and before long, I was transferred to a different department.”

It has long been pointed out that local politics is deteriorating, with issues such as mayors falsifying their educational backgrounds and allegations of bribery surfacing in other municipalities, but harassment this blatant is rare. When we requested an interview with the Tone Town Hall, Mayor Yamazaki himself agreed, stating, “I want to explain the facts in my own words.”

Former Mayor Yoshiaki Sasaki laments:

“I’ve never once heard of harassment against council members or town hall staff in Tone Town. Everyone is cowering in fear, yet Mayor Yamazaki is playing the victim—it’s simply appalling. We can’t build a good town like this. Shouldn’t Mayor Yamazaki resign of his own accord?”

Will the day ever come when Tonegawa Town and its local government regain their composure?

The “FRIDAY November 13 & 20 Combined Issue,” on sale October 30, and the paid edition “FRIDAY GOLD” provide detailed coverage of the truth as told by Mayor Yamazaki.

Click here to view the full details and multiple photos ↓

From the November 13 & 20, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*