Yokohama mayor set to resign over allegations of power harassment
Takeharu Yamanaka's resignation would start the clock for an election to take place within 50 days.
Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka plans to resign following allegations of power harassment against city employees, according to supporters he spoke to on Friday. The decision follows a third-party investigation that confirmed seven instances of harassment and demands from three political parties in the city assembly - the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, and Komeito - for him to step down.
Yamanaka, a 53-year-old former professor from Yokohama City University, was elected mayor in 2021, unseating the incumbent and another candidate backed by then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. He specialized in medicine and data science, positioning himself as an "expert on the coronavirus" during the pandemic.
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