{
  "id": 15540733,
  "title": "Newcomer Harasawa defeats ex-mayor accused of abuse in Yokohama",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/newcomer-harasawa-defeats-ex-mayor-accused-of-abuse-in-yokohama",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-19T02:00:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261019/p2g/00m/0na/013000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Yokohama's new mayor, Atsumi Harasawa, won the election on Sunday, securing the support of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and several other parties. Harasawa, a 59-year-old lawyer, defeated six other candidates, including Takeharu Yamanaka, the ex-mayor who resigned over allegations of verbal abuse towards subordinates. Harasawa, who ran as an independent but received backing from the LDP, Japan Innovation Party, opposition Democratic Party for the People, and Komeito party members, stated that she would prioritize restoring the dignity of city employees and implementing halted municipal policies. Yamanaka, who admitted to bullying and verbally abusing several municipal employees, came in third with 199,746 votes. Voter turnout increased by 3.92 percentage points compared to the previous election, with a total of 45.56 percent participation.",
  "summary": "YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- Newcomer Atsumi Harasawa won the Yokohama mayoral election Sunday with the backing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and othe",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}