TOKYO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The chairman of Japan's National Public Safety Commission Hachiro Okonogi on Tuesday announced he will run in the election for mayor of Yokohama in August.
While opting not to tell a press conference on the issue exactly when he plans to do so, the move will see the 56-year-old relinquish his Cabinet post.
The election campaign in Japan's second-largest city, which includes the constituencies of the lower house seats held by Okonogi and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, is set to begin on Aug. 8 with ballots to be cast on Aug. 22.
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will likely support Okonogi, local media reported, rather than the current mayor Fumiko Hayashi, who has thus far not mentioned whether she is planning to seek a fourth term.
Yokohama's bid to become one of the cities selected by the government to host one of the planned mega-casinos, the operation of which became legalized at integrated resorts in 2018, will be one of the central tenets of the election.
Okonogi, who led Suga's successful election campaign enabling him to become leader of the LDP and hence prime minister last September, indicated at a press conference that he does not support the idea of the city hosting the casino resort. Enditem
