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A Japanese port city mayor has apologised for badmouthing his colleagues after he was publicly called out for using offensive language.

Takeharu Yamanaka, 53, the mayor of Yokohama, has been accused of calling subordinates and a city assembly member “idiot”, “fat”, “human scum” and “ostrich”.

The allegations came to light after Atsushi Kubota, head of the city government’s human resources department, accused Mr Yamanaka of abusive behaviour, saying he himself was among those targeted.

At a news conference on Thursday, Mr Kubota demanded an apology from the mayor, saying he had called officials “useless”, “silly” and “low-spec”, and had even likened his colleagues to animals.

Mr Kubota said that in a June 2023 incident, when he was in charge of the internal bureau, Mr Yamanaka banged on his desk and yelled at him over delayed reports, NHK Japan reported.

In another incident, the mayor reportedly became angry and pressured Mr Kubota to make efforts to have Yokohama host an international gathering of Japanese and African countries. He allegedly went on to suggest that “you need to die by seppuku” if he failed, referring to the ritual suicide historically practised by samurai.

Mr Yamanaka, who initially denied the claims, publicly apologised on Friday to Mr Kubota and others he may have hurt.

“I want to frankly apologise for placing a psychological burden on the personnel director,” he said.

He admitted to using words such as “idiot” and “human scum” but denied accusations that he had insulted colleagues’ appearance.

“I am reflecting on this. I will be more careful with my words and behaviour,” Mr Yamanaka said, adding that the remarks were made during discussions over personnel evaluations.

Mr Yamanaka also defended his reference to suicide, saying it was meant to convey his own “resolve” to host the international meeting in the city.

Mr Kubota initially made the allegations in a weekly magazine on 11 January, a claim the mayor denied at that time, before holding a press conference.

Mr Yamanaka said an investigation was being considered under the supervision of the deputy mayor and pledged to “sincerely” co-operate if it proceeded.

But Mr Kubota dismissed the response, saying the mayor had failed to acknowledge all of his remarks.

“The mayor doesn’t understand anything. I cannot accept that as an apology. I want him to change,” he said.