In Japan, the person who appears headed to become the united opposition candidate in the August 22 Yokohama mayoral election has finally stepped forward.
Takeharu Yamanaka, 48, is a professor at Yokohama City University who specialises in public health and medical statistics. Recently he has been working on anti-Covid countermeasures.
Yamanaka has already indicated that if elected mayor of Yokohama he will cancel the IR development project. He cited the issues of gambling addiction, the worsening of the educational environment for young people and excessive competition in the global casino market as the reasons for his opposition.
Yamanaka has not been formally backed by any political party, but it is reported that the leading Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is in the final stages of announcing him as their candidate.
Source: Asia Gaming Brief
