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Takeharu Yamanaka

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Takeharu Yamanaka
山中 竹春
head and shoulders photo of Yamanaka wearing a suit and blue tie, facing camera and looking to right of audience
Yamanaka in 2024
Mayor of Yokohama
Incumbent
Assumed office
30 August 2021
Preceded byFumiko Hayashi
Personal details
Born (1972-09-27) 27 September 1972 (age 54)
Chichibu, Saitama, Japan
PartyIndependent
EducationWaseda University (Ph.D.)
OccupationData scientist, Professor at Yokohama City University School of Medicine
WebsiteTakeharu Yamanaka OFFICIAL WEB SITE

Takeharu Yamanaka (山中 竹春, Yamanaka Takeharu; born 27 September 1972) is a Japanese politician and current mayor of Yokohama, the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture. He defeated incumbent mayor Fumiko Hayashi in the 2021 Yokohama mayoral election.[1] His independent campaign was supported by the Constitutional Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, and the Communist Party of Japan.[2] Yamanaka's campaign focused on the opposition for a planned integrated resort development and casino for the city which was to be built on Yamashita Pier, criticism against the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and additional sister city relationship with San Francisco, California.[3][4][5]

Yamanaka formerly worked as a professor at Yokohama City University and as a data scientist.[6][7]

On 16 January 2026, Yamanaka issued a public apology after Yokohama's human resource chief, Jun Kubota, accused Yamanaka of using terms such as "idiot" and "human scum" to disparage staff.[8] In July 2026, a third-party investigation confirmed these allegations and also Yamanaka saying things like "everyone over 55 is stubborn and useless", even telling an official to "disembowel" if he failed to secure a bid to host an international conference.[9][10] On 28 August 2026, two weeks after some of Japan's major political parties urged him to step down from his post, Yamanaka announced his intention to resign as the mayor of Yokohama.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Exit polls show ally of Japan's Suga losing Yokohama election, NHK says". Reuters. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  2. ↑ Johnston, Eric (22 August 2021). "In major blow to Suga, opposition party-backed Takeharu Yamanaka wins Yokohama mayoral election". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Yokohama Mayor Poll Result May Affect Japan's IR Future". nippon.com. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Anti-IR campaigner Takeharu Yamanaka wins Yokohama mayoral election". IAG. 22 August 2021. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Adachi, Yushin. "Casino resort ups the ante in Yokohama mayoral race | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Japan PM Suga regrets opposition win in Yokohama mayor election". Kyodo News+. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Suga suffers blow as LDP-backed candidate loses Yokohama poll". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Japanese mayor apologises after calling staff 'human scum'". BBC. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Yokohama mayor abused authority to bully subordinates: city". Mainichi Daily News. 30 July 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  10. ↑ 朝日新聞 (30 July 2026). 「ポンコツ」「人間のクズ」横浜市の山中竹春市長　複数の重大なパワハラ認定. Retrieved 1 August 2026 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "Yokohama mayor resigns over power harassment". Asahi Shimbun. 28 August 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
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