Yokohama mayoral candidate Nakatani pledges casino ban
The independent candidate plans to work with the city assembly to formalise Yokohama’s opposition to casino development.
Japan.- The former Japanese lawmaker Kazuma Nakatani has vowed to seek a local ban on casino development if he wins Yokohama’s mayoral election. After declaring his candidacy on September 12, Nakatani said he would work with the city assembly to establish a local restriction on casino operations and prevent related projects from progressing without public knowledge.
The proposal comes five years after Yokohama abandoned plans for an integrated resort (IR) following the 2021 mayoral election. The city had previously selected the Yamashita Pier area as the proposed location for an IR and attracted bids from international gaming groups, including Genting Singapore and Melco Resorts & Entertainment.
That process ended after Takeharu Yamanaka won the 2021 mayoral election on an anti-IR platform. Yokohama subsequently stopped its operator-selection process, prompting the companies to withdraw from their respective projects. Nakatani’s proposal would take the city’s existing position a step further by establishing a formal local restriction on casino development.
The Yokohama mayoral contest follows Yamanaka’s resignation on August 28 after controversy over his conduct towards city employees. Campaigning is scheduled to start on October 4, followed by voting on October 18. The Constitutional Democratic Party’s Kanagawa chapter backed Nakatani’s candidacy, adding support from a major opposition party to his campaign.
The election will take place before Japan’s next opportunity for IR applications, which will run from May 6 to November 5, 2027.
