Yokohama Mayor Faces Calls to Resign Over Power Harassment Claims
Listen to the story
The mayor of Yokohama city is Takeharu Yamanaka.
People say he did power harassment. This means a boss is unkind or unfair to workers.
A group of city leaders asked him to leave his job. They are from the Liberal Democratic Party, a big political party in Japan.
The leader of this group said Mayor Yamanaka must make his own decision now.
A former worker at the city also spoke. This person was the head of the personnel department. This department manages workers' jobs.
This former worker said it is now very hard to fix people's trust in the mayor.
Kanagawa's governor, Kuroiwa, also talked about the problem. A governor leads a bigger area called a prefecture.
The governor said he wants to watch what happens next.
The story also talks about old problems from when Yamanaka worked at Yokohama City University.
People want to know more about these old problems too.
Vocabulary15 words
- power harassment
- when a boss treats workers badly
- Liberal Democratic Party
- a big political group in Japan
- decision
- a choice someone makes
- personnel department
- the part of a company that manages workers
- trust
- believing someone is honest and good
- governor
- a leader of a big area
- prefecture
- a big area in Japan, like a state
- mayor
- the leader of a city
- resign
- to leave a job
- accuse
- to say someone did something wrong
- former
- someone who had a job before, not now
- leader
- a person who guides a group
- case
- a problem or event people talk about
- pressure
- strong feeling that someone must do something
- political party
- a group of people with the same ideas about running a country
Quiz
Answer key
1. Power harassment 2. A group from the Liberal Democratic Party 3. Trust is now very hard to fix
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The mayor of Yokohama city is Takeharu _____.
People say he did power _____.
A group of city _____ asked him to leave his job.
They are from the _____ Democratic Party, a big political party in Japan.
The leader of this group said Mayor Yamanaka must make his own _____ now.
A former worker at the city also spoke. This person was the head of the personnel _____.
This former worker said it is now very hard to fix people's _____ in the mayor.
Kanagawa's _____, Kuroiwa, also talked about the problem.
The governor said he wants to _____ what happens next.
The story also talks about old problems from when Yamanaka worked at Yokohama City _____.