Atsumi Harasawa is elected for the first time as mayor of Yokohama, defeating 6 other candidates including his predecessor, Takeharu Yamanaka.

Votes were counted in the Yokohama mayoral election following the resignation of the previous mayor on the 18th, and Atsumi Harazawa (59), an independent and new lawyer, was elected for the first time, defeating a total of six candidates, including former independent and former mayor Takeharu Yamanaka (54), and five newcomers. Voter turnout was 45.56%, higher than the previous time (41.64%).

[Video] Atsumi Harasawa's Yokohama mayoral election campaign press conference

The issue was whether to give confidence to Mr. Yamanaka, who had resigned due to power harassment against a senior city official and was running for office again. "I want to put the citizen's perspective first and make Yokohama a good town," Harasawa said at the election office. On the other hand, Yamanaka, who was defeated, said, ``I'm sorry for my lack of ability.''

Mr. Harasawa is running an organizational campaign with the support of the Komeito City Council, in addition to recommendations from prefectural organizations of the Liberal Democratic Party, Japan Restoration Party, and Democratic Party of the People. He advocated improving disaster preparedness and strengthening the financial base, and drew on his experience as a lawyer to garner support by calling for the restructuring of the city's government.

Mr. Yamanaka apologized for his power harassment incident, stressing, ``As the perpetrator, there are measures I must take.'' The government appealed for its track record of providing independent subsidies for childbirth costs, but to no avail. Company manager Atsushi Fukuyama (37) was nominated as a suffragist, and former House of Representatives member Kazuma Nakatani (43), who received support from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, also failed to gain traction.

Mr. Yamanaka was first elected in the August 2021 mayoral election after being recommended by Ritsumeikan. He was re-elected in 2025 with support from local organizations such as the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and Ritsumeikan, but in July of this year, a third-party investigation report found that his behavior towards senior staff members was deemed to be power harassment, and he resigned in September midway through his second term.

◇ Biography of Yokohama Mayoral Election Winners

Atsumi Harasawa (Atsumi Harasawa) Completed Waseda University Law School. lawyer. Japan Airlines mechanic from 1992 to 2004. 59 years old. Born in Yokohama. Won once.

◇Yokohama mayoral election confirmed votes

552,207 Atsumi Harasawa Mushin

230,418 Atsushi Fukuyama Mushin

199,746 Takeharu Yamanaka Muzen

179,739 Kazuma Nakatani Mushin

97,819 Shoko Fujikawa Mushin

89,052 Yuka Asaga Kyoshin

49,377 Riken Yamamoto No new.