Japan's government said Friday it will watch the World Health Organization's investigation into staff complaints over racism and abuse by a top Japanese official at the agency but denied it inappropriately received sensitive vaccine information from him.
WHO staffers have alleged that Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the U.N. health agency’s top director in the Western Pacific, engaged in unethical, racist and abusive behavior, undermining their efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic, according to an internal complaint filed last October.
The complaints were also emailed to senior WHO leaders last week and describe a “toxic atmosphere” with “a culture of systemic bullying” at WHO’s regional headquarters in the Philippines. Recordings obtained by The Associated Press also showed that Kasai, who heads a vast region that includes China and Japan, made derogatory remarks to his staff during meetings based on nationality.
© Provided by Associated PressFILE – World Health Organization Regional Director for Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai addresses the media at the start of the five-day annual session Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, in Manila, Philippines. Current and former staffers have accused Kasai of racist, unethical and abusive behavior that has undermined the U.N. health agency’s efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The allegations were laid out in an internal complaint filed in October 2021 and an email in January 2022 sent by unidentified “concerned WHO staff” to senior leadership and the executive board. Kasai denies the charges. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)Kasai denied the allegations.
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