SAPPORO (Kyodo) An underpaid senior hotel chef in Toyako, Hokkaido, has sued his former employer for ¥10 million in damages for overtime caused by the Group of Eight summit last July at the northern resort town.

The 53-year-old ex-chief chef at Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace filed the damages suit with the Sapporo District Court on April 30, claiming his employer forced overtime on its staff with no intention to pay extra. Others at the inn have also sued.

According to the lawsuit, the hotel catered to police in charge of security in and around the summit venue beginning last May. As head of the kitchen, he was in charge of not just cooking but also managing menus and procuring food. His overtime amounted to some 150 hours a month but was never paid.

When push came to shove, hotel President Koji Hamano resorted to power harassment, the lawsuit said. "I won't suffer any trouble without you. You can leave here anytime," the president was quoted as telling the chef. "If your expenses exceed your budget, your salary will be cut in line with it."

The chef eventually fell into depression and was forced to quit, according to the suit.