Yokohama LDP Will Not Back Anti-Casino Mayoral Candidate, Supports Free Election

The controlling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) inward Yokohama says it will not indorse party fellow member Hachiro Okonogi for mayor.

In June, Okonogi shocked Nippon past announcing his intentions to course for city manager of Yokohama, ousting incumbent Mayor Fumiko Hayashi. Hayashi and Okonogi are both LDP members, but they get a major difference of opinion when it comes to cassino gambling.

Hayashi supports Yokohama bidding on ace of Japan’s tierce forthcoming integrated resort hotel (IR) licenses. Okonogi doesn’t. Prior to his mayoral ambitions, Okonogi was a longtime fellow member of the National Diet’s House of Representatives.

Along with running against I of his possess company members, Okonogi’s announcement came as a surprise because of his serving inward prominent roles inwards the administrations of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and stream PM Yoshihide Suga. Abe spearheaded the cognitive operation to legalize commercial-grade gambling casino resorts in an exertion to spine tourism to Japan. Following his surrender because of health reasons, his successor, Suga, has pledged to pack on that mission.

Yokohama is unity of only when quadruplet cities that has entered the IR run for the trinity licenses. But its candidacy largely hinges on the outcome of its Aug 22, 2021, mayoral election.

One Pro-Casino Candidate

Roughly half of the full general universe in Nihon is thought to contradict the legitimation of commercial-grade casinos, according to polling. Abe and Suga get used their LDP power inwards the National Diet to go gaming forward.

While inwards the Diet, Okonogi headed the National Public Safety Commission. As chair of the agency, he became the diplomatic minister of the Casino Regulatory Commission after the Diet passed its Basic Policy on gambling casino gaming inwards 2018. But now, as the state inches closer to reviewing city and prefecture IR bids, Okonogi is opting to controvert such developments.

In Yokohama, the LDP, along with its sister Komeito Party, controls 52 of the City Council’s 86 seats.

The Yokohama ramification of the LDP decided during a get together this week that it will not indorse Okonogi for mayor. The party also won’t rear Masataka Ota, another LDP prospect running on an anti-casino platform. The LDP additionally isn’t coming out inward replete(p) back up of Hayashi.

Instead, the LDP chapter says it testament encourage its members to voter turnout freely. At to the lowest degree 9 candidates are running, but only when 1 — Hayashi — is promoting an IR.

Fourth Terms Rare inwards Japan

There are no more term limits for Yokohama’s mayor. But it’s been an unwritten rein that, following iii four-year terms, the mayor doesn’t running game again. Hayashi is diverting from that custom.

The previous city manager of Yokohama to throw the view for more than 12 years was Mayor Ichiro Asukata, who was mayor from 1963 through 1978.

He is the only if Yokohama city manager to attend in the role for to a greater extent than 12 years, meaning Hayashi testament follow only the second, should she hold next month.

During the 2017 mayoral election, Hayashi was easily reelected past winning more than 53 percent of the vote. Only deuce other candidates ran against her, to each one roughly splitting the remaining 47 percent.