Yokohama Mayor Yamanaka Announces Resignation over Harassment

Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka announced his resignation on Friday in response to a harassment scandal, apologizing for damaging trust and causing turmoil in the city administration. The 53-year-old mayor admitted to acts of workplace harassment, which a third-party investigative committee confirmed earlier this month. The committee included lawyers and found evidence of Yamanaka's misconduct.

The three major groups in the Yokohama assembly that had previously backed Yamanaka in the 2025 mayoral election requested his resignation on August 14. Some assembly members also attempted to submit a no-confidence motion against him. Yamanaka, first elected as Yokohama mayor in 2021 for his second term, has not yet decided whether he will run again in the upcoming municipal election, which must be held within 50 days of the resignation.