From our other sites
The story
On August 28, Kawasaki Town Mayor Shusaku Koyama of Miyagi Prefecture stopped by a ramen chain restaurant in Shibata Town on his way back from a reception following the Kennan Summit held in Watari Town. While drinking a highball there, he loudly told a section chief and a driver who were with him, “I want to fire all the managers” and “The staff are useless.” It was revealed on September 14 through reporting by the Kahoku Shimpo that he later apologized to the staffer in person. On the thread, reactions focused less on the content of his remarks and more on surrounding topics — unease over the article’s deliberate use of the phrase “ramen chain restaurant,” the mayor’s background, and the staffing structure of local government.
It was revealed on the 14th that Kawasaki Town Mayor Shusaku Koyama of Miyagi Prefecture, while drinking at a restaurant, loudly told two town employees present, “I want to fire all the managers” and “The staff are useless,” and later apologized to the employees.
According to the town, Mayor Koyama attended the Kennan Summit held in Watari Town on August 28 and drank at the reception afterward. On his way back to the town office, he stopped by a ramen chain restaurant in Shibata Town and had one highball. A section chief and a driver were present. The staff say the mayor’s loud voice…(continues in the paid edition)
Kahoku Shimpo, September 14, 2026, 17:30
Source: kahoku.news / Original article here
What people said
Wouldn't "restaurant" or "ramen shop" be enough?
Guess it's some famous chain?
Maybe it was a Jiro-style place? (a ramen style known for huge, greasy portions)
Night programs barely exist anymore, right? If he worked his way through college, that's respectable regardless of how selective the school was. But checking Wikipedia, he dropped out of a technical college, graduated from an agricultural high school, then somehow ended up with an economics degree — pretty confusing career path.
For Miyagi folks of a certain age, going to Gakuin after failing to get into Tohoku University was totally normal, so I don't think it's a big deal.
The prefectural technical school he dropped out of probably had a night program too, and the agricultural high school he graduated from was likely night classes as well. Given the era, the guy seems to have genuinely struggled through school while working.
Maybe it's just being considerate toward ramen shops that aren't chains?
The voice thing is probably because your hearing goes.
AI would do just fine.
Yeah, probably…
The verbal abuse, obviously. But those nights where you can't cope without venting, without drinking — that happens more to serious, hardworking people, so I can't fully blame this mayor.
↑
Which of these two snitched on him?
Could've been other customers or staff nearby too.
We need another round of Heisei/Reiwa-style municipal mergers. Local governments really should have at least 100,000 people each, or it's just too inefficient.
Chainsaw.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Kawasaki Town sits in southern Miyagi Prefecture and has a population of roughly 7,000. The Kennan Summit appears to be a gathering of neighboring municipal leaders, and it was on the way back from that event that the mayor made the remarks at the restaurant that became an issue. On the thread, discussion centered less on the content of the remarks themselves and more on the oddly specific phrase “ramen chain restaurant,” as well as the mayor’s academic background and career (a graduate of the night program at Tohoku Gakuin University, an agricultural high school graduate, etc.), while the structural issue of local government staffing wasn’t explored much. Whether “I want to fire them” actually meant dismissal or was just drunken griping can’t be determined from the reporting alone, and the article doesn’t reveal which of those present was the one who leaked the story.
*This article is an excerpt and summary compiled from the 5ch (News Express+) thread ““I Want to Fire All the Managers”: Miyagi’s Kawasaki Town Mayor Shusaku Koyama Shouts at a Ramen Chain Restaurant, Apologizes Later.”
Leave a Reply