The Nagano Prefectural Government has been bombarded with more than 2,000 telephone calls and e-mail messages protesting against the "rudeness" of top officials toward Gov. Yasuo Tanaka, who took office last week.
The flood of phone calls started shortly after television news programs aired the newly elected governor's visit to a number of the prefecture's departments on Thursday, his first day in his new job.
During a visit to the business bureau, Tanaka handed his name card to Tokitaka Fujii, the bureau chief. Fujii folded it in half, however, remarking that "the leader should not give his name card to his subordinates. I will take it as (Tanaka's personal) card, not as the governor's."
Fujii folded the card to obscure the part reading "Nagano Governor."