{
  "id": 15406722,
  "title": "Harasawa set to win Yokohama election, defeats ex-mayor accused of abuse",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/harasawa-set-to-win-yokohama-election-defeats-ex-mayor-accused-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T12:34:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261018/p2g/00m/0na/032000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Yokohama's mayoral election is set to see Atsumi Harasawa, a lawyer supported by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, emerge victorious. Six candidates, including former mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, will compete in the vote, according to Kyodo News exit polls.\n\nYamanaka resigned last month after admitting to bullying and verbally assaulting several city government officials. A third-party investigation, conducted in July, concluded that he had used terms like \"human scum\" to describe his subordinates.\n\nHarasawa, 59, ran as an independent candidate but secured backing from the LDP, its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, and the opposition Democratic Party for the People. In addition, she garnered support from Komeito, the other opposition party.\n\nDuring her campaign, Harasawa pledged to implement municipal policies that were stalled due to the abuse case if elected to the position. She plans to leverage her experience in corporate governance and compliance, as she serves as an external board member of several companies.",
  "summary": "YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- Lawyer Atsumi Harasawa, backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and some other parties, is set to win the Yokohama mayoral e",
  "key_points": [
    "Atsumi Harasawa set to win Yokohama mayoral election",
    "Former mayor Takeharu Yamanaka accused of abuse",
    "Harasawa backed by multiple parties, pledges policy implementation"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}