Tokyo's Shibuya deputy mayor resigns for calling assemblywoman 'pig'

Shin Sawada, 63, issued a statement apologizing to Yukiko Kuwazuru, a 35-year-old rookie ward assembly member, for his "inappropriate" posts that "severely damaged" the municipality's reputation.

63 year-old that just to young in Japanese politics to do any sort of gaffe! Especially in local progressive place like Shibuya, not in some remote rural area.

A photo of the “female local assembly member ” would have helped with this article.

The arrogance of power raises its swinish head again.

Sophomoric mentality abounds in Japanese politics. After looking at some of her pictures, not the political poster one's, but of her at a press conference, he was seriously "body-shaming" this (relatively) young politician, and he should disappear forever from political life and get some help!

Stupid old dropkick.

Well he aint no oil painting himself ,with a boiled egg head complete with "bar code " to disguise his baldness.

Shame on you, Ken Haskebe.

What a swine!.....

Apology accepted, but why did he say it!?

In June and July, Sawada posted messages slandering Kuwazuru, who belongs to the Democratic Party for the People, such as by calling her "Kuwa-buta." "Buta" means pig in Japanese.

If she's Kuwa-buta then he's Sawa-buta.

He has also called an assembly committee to which Kuwazuru belongs as a "group of idiots."

Classic case of pot calling kettle.

Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe also apologized on Tuesday, while criticizing Sawada's remarks as "lacking consideration" and "unacceptable."

That's putting it lightly.

The mayor also said he instructed workers in the office to "act responsibly as civil servants" to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Anyway, good on Mayor Hasebe for calling out Sawa-buta and getting rid of that swine.

“A photo of the “female local assembly member ” would have helped with this article.”

Really? So we can judge for ourselves and leave more hateful comments about the poor woman? Probably best to leave her alone.

It feels like high school.

The mayor also said he instructed workers in the office to "act responsibly as civil servants" to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

…

The mayor seems to be an arrogant, out-of-touch bore himself!

There are far too many arrogant people in Japan that never get called out for overly cruel and damaging remarks. To a certain extent Japanese culture is to blame because people are taught to not be confrontational but if this guy had had a few 'confrontations' before this, he may have already learned his lesson.

Sorry, not mayor ‘deputy mayor’ that was involved..

His own worst enemy.

Mr. "Pig" is 63 years old but mentally hasn't matured past the 3rd grade. His resignation and apology isn't enough, the people responsible for his appointment to the role must explain under what merits this person was ever allowed to hold such a high position in public service as it is obvious that he is mentally deranged and unfit for the role from the get go.

Misogyny in Japanese politics is alive and well. I'm honestly surprised he was called out, much less resigned, considering that many other politicians have said similarly sexist insults towards women. Maybe things are improving slightly, or maybe he was disliked anyway so they saw this as an opportunity.

Looks like Shin Sawada's hairline already resigned several years ago.

https://www.shibuya-univ.net/professor/detail/1015/

And there's me thinking that "Japanese people are so polite"!

LOL!! Thanks for the leg slapper mate!!

For those of us who have had a pig for a pet, they are absolutely adorable.

‘Tempest in a teacup’! DEI will create more of these!

‘Tempest in a teacup’! DEI will create more of these!

Yeah better to make it ok to discriminate right? Less hassles right?

It takes a pig to call a woman a pig!

Therefore Shin Sawada IS a pig!

This Sawada man has just advertised to Japan that he is a misogynistic idiot. He will not change, men like him will never do that, they are far too stupid and stuck in the last century. I just wonder how he treats his wife, if he has one, if he has, she must be very used to him and his vile mouth.

Isn’t the bigger story here that he also doxed her?

Yamaneko

Why did he call her a pig ?

Because he's a moron.

A photo of the “female local assembly member ” would have helped with this article.

You can probably find a photo on her website.

https://kuwazuruyukiko.com/#profile

An adult politician making up stupid, childish, insulting names for an opponent??? What an immature moron.

Can you imagine that sort of childish nonsense from the front-running opposition party candidate for President of the US??? Oh wait. Never mind.

When will these clowns retire? His comments are inappropriate and uncalled for, if he didn't like this woman or they clashed over various political views, he should have kept his thoughts to himself, and not to make his voice heard.

The UK, France, Sweden, Denmark, etc guarantee 5-6 weeks of annual vacation by law!

Lifetime employment is no longer so it’s time for Japanese salarymen and women to shed their lifetime junior-high mentality. Dare to refuse after work a golf invitations from colleagues, take time off monthly, avoid meaningless meetings and focus on productivity.

 Sawada exposed in the chat her residence address that was not made public.

Very intimidating and possibly exposing her to danger and harassment, at best having some juvenile 'egg' or 'TP' her home'. Very unbecoming the head of a civilized political grouping.

opheliajadefeldtToday  10:41 am JST

This Sawada man has just advertised to Japan that he is a misogynistic idiot. He will not change, men like him will never do that, they are far too stupid and stuck in the last century. I just wonder how he treats his wife, if he has one, if he has, she must be very used to him and his vile mouth.

He just showed that he has no place in today's world, let alone a civilized one. He's a total sexist boor, like the antichrist Caligula with his sexist/incestuous/pervert/etc. attitude.

obladiToday  08:51 am JST

It feels like high school.

He never matured beyond that, has he?

garypenToday  11:12 am JST

An adult politician making up stupid, childish, insulting names for an opponent??? What an immature moron.

Can you imagine that sort of childish nonsense from the front-running opposition party candidate for President of the US??? Oh wait. Never mind.

Nailed it.

Seesaw7Today  11:13 am JST

Is she fat?

What difference does that make? Some people can't help that due to something in their psychology. I had an uncle like that. And even if the woman is fat that's no excuse to make immature jokes about her like a sassybrat clod (like trump). That makes a hostile work environment at the very least.

Shin Sawada, 63 years old. Going on 6.

It feels like high school.

That's how I feel about the makeup and structure of Japanese organizations - full of cliques in a hierarchy where the ones with power relentlessly take advantage of and bully the ones that don't. It's immature and childish. I mean calling someone "pig"? What, is this idiot, 5? Did he later go and yank on the woman's braids before pushing her onto the playground floor only to then point and laugh while surrounded by his cronies? Ridiculous.

And Japanese organizations needs to stop these public apology fanfares. He's not sorry; he's "apologizing" purely for ceremonial purposes and actually has no remorse at all, otherwise he wouldn't have said what he said in the first place. He should have been immediately fired, not allowed to resign.

Politicians behavior in Japan is often similar to high school level. Why an politicians need to use words like this. This is why Japan is not developing forward but is getting more under developed.

It feels like high school.

Politicians behavior in Japan is often similar to high school level. 

Hate to disagree guys, but I don't even think this would be appropriate even in HS. JHS maybe. Just shows the level of these spoon-fed man babies that run this country.

Sad.

That's how I feel about the makeup and structure of Japanese organizations - full of cliques in a hierarchy where the ones with power relentlessly take advantage of and bully the ones that don't. It's immature and childish. I mean calling someone "pig"? What, is this idiot, 5? Did he later go and yank on the woman's braids before pushing her onto the playground floor only to then point and laugh while surrounded by his cronies? Ridiculous.

And Japanese organizations needs to stop these public apology fanfares. He's not sorry; he's "apologizing" purely for ceremonial purposes and actually has no remorse at all, otherwise he wouldn't have said what he said in the first place. He should have been immediately fired, not allowed to resign.

bacon- well said!

That is also not even fitting by formal logic. Either it is then a group of pigs or a member of a group of idiots is an idiot but not a pig.

Don't allow this one mans horrible conduct to stain your view of Japanese people in general.

Yeah, the "general" Japanese public wouldn't have made their negative comments public.

In my town, the deputy mayor is appointed by the mayor, who is elected. The deputy is therefore an appointee, not an elected official. A mayor who wants to shake things up will appoint their own person, but more often than not (in my town), it'll be a senior city hall worker to get city hall workers on the mayor's side.

If it's the same in Shibuya, that would mean this is an appointee/insider name-calling someone who was actually chosen by the local public.

Politics that involves name calling, whether it is "idiots", "facists", "woke", or whatever, is bad politics. You should play the "ball" (the idea, the policy, or whatever), not the "man" (here, a woman).

Sawada was serving his second term as deputy mayor of the ward and also had experience working at major advertising agency Hakuhodo Inc.

This is more than enough to tell us what kind of person he is!

Shin? Sawada? Deputy? Mayor? Mr Pig?

That's right!