Yokohama Casino Prospects Improve as Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka Steps Down

Japan’s second-largest city could return to the casino bidding pool after Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka resigned amid controversy.

A third-party probe into Yamanaka published its findings in July, concluding that the mayor routinely engaged in workplace harassment. The investigation came after a whistleblower, later identified as a top official at the city’s human resources department, told government leaders that he had been subjected to coercive behavior by the mayor.

A law firm found evidence that Yamanaka bullied and intimidated his subordinates, calling them “morons” and “human scum.” Yamanaka acknowledged the report, telling the media that he “deeply regrets and apologizes” for his “poor choice of words.”

First elected in 2021, Yamanaka ran on an anti-casino campaign, referring to gambling as a “poison apple.” After his victory, he withdrew Yokohama as an eligible casino destination.

Yamanaka, reelected in August 2025, announced his plans to resign last month. The Yokohama City Council voted unanimously 84-0 to accept his resignation on Sept. 7.

Yokohama Casino Return

With Yamanaka no longer in office, the odds of Yokohama renewing its integrated resort (IR) candidacy improve. Yokohama’s next mayor will be determined during a special election scheduled for Oct. 18, 2026.

Attorney Atsumi Harasawa announced her candidacy today (Sept. 10).

After graduating from Keio University Graduate School, Harasawa joined Japan Airlines in 1992, where she worked as an engineer. She worked at Japan Airlines until she gained her law degree and entered the field in 2009.

Harasawa serves as an outside director for several companies, including Kawasaki Kisen (K Line), a transportation conglomerate with a fleet that contains dry cargo ships, container ships, liquefied natural gas carriers, tankers, and container terminals.

Harasawa is expected to gain the backing of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which controls Japan’s National Diet and is the party of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Harasawa hasn’t publicly expressed an opinion on whether Yokohama should again explore the feasibility of an IR. But the LDP was responsible for authorizing up to three casinos in Japan in 2018 when PM Shinzo Abe was in charge. Takaichi has embraced a second casino bidding round to grow tourism.

Yokohama Bidding

During Japan’s first casino bidding round, which resulted in only one of the three IR licenses being granted to MGM Osaka, Yokohama initially planned to participate. The country’s most populous city behind Tokyo, Yokohama fielded strong interest from several of the world’s largest gaming operators, including Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, Genting, Galaxy Entertainment, and Melco Resorts.

Once Yamanaka was elected, however, Yokohama rescinded its IR eligibility. The decision came after Sands and Wynn had already backed out on policy and cost concerns, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan is expected to commence a second bidding round for the two remaining IR concessions sometime next year.