Nagoya Mayor Apologizes For Biting Athlete's Medal
A city mayor in central Japan has apologized for biting the gold medal of a member of Japan's softball team after the action sparked an uproar across the country.
Nagoya Mayor Kawamura Takashi was visited on Wednesday by pitcher Goto Miu, who helped Japan win gold at the Tokyo Olympics. She is a native of Nagoya City and plays for the Toyota Motor softball team.
After Goto reported the team's victory and placed the medal around Kawamura's neck, the mayor suddenly removed his face mask and bit the medal.
City officials say they received more than 4,000 angry phone calls and emails by Thursday evening from people who thought the mayor was rude or lacked awareness of antivirus measures.
The officials say they also received a letter from Toyota Motor President Toyoda Akio denouncing the mayor's action. That prompted the deputy mayor and other officials to visit Toyota's headquarters and offer an apology.
Kawamura told reporters that he always dreamed of winning a gold medal, and that biting one was his greatest expression of love.
The mayor said he regrets that his action dirtied the medal that resulted from an athlete's persistent effort over many years.
Kawamura also said he should reflect seriously on his action that was completely inappropriate for a mayor of Nagoya City.
He expressed deep apologies to the athlete and others.