Yokohama Mayor Steps Down, Paving Way for Renewed Casino Talks

Japan’s casino landscape could be reshaped following Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka’s resignation amid a power abuse scandal. His departure potentially paves the way for the city to renew its bid for an integrated resort (IR). Yamanaka Initially Got His Post On an Anti-IR Campaign Yamanaka, a former Yokohama City University Professor, first won office in 2021 on an anti-IR platform, effectively ending the city’s bid for a casino license, has officially resigned following an investigation that found evidence of bullying and abuse of power. In August 2025, the now-former mayor was re-elected, but this time his tenure was not to last very long. Not long after he retook his post, a third-party investigation into Yamanaka was launched after a whistleblower, later identified as a senior city human resources official, reported to government leaders that Yamanaka had subjected him to coercive behavior. The investigation released its findings in July, concluding that the mayor had repeatedly engaged in workplace harassment. The law firm conducting the investigation found evidence that Yamanaka routinely bullied and intimidated subordinates, at times referring to them as “morons” and “human scum.” Yamanaka accepted the findings and told reporters that he “deeply regrets and apologizes” for his “poor choice of words.” He stepped down this week after the city council unanimously approved a motion calling for his resignation at a plenary session, according to local media outlet Mainichi Shimbun. Over the years, Japan has had a complicated relationship with gambling as a whole, and Yamanaka is just one piece of it. Integrated resorts have long been seen as one of the ways that the country could legally expand its gambling scene. In fact, Japan’s Tourism Agency has told local governments it’s ready to accept more applications for hosting integrated resorts as of May, 2027. Talks About an Integrated Resort In Yokohama Could Be Renewed Now that Yamanaka is no longer in office, some experts are saying talks about Yokohama’s IR ambitions could be held. The city is set to elect a new mayor in a special election on October 18, 2026, with Attorney Atsumi Harasawa being one of the favorites. She is expected to receive backing from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Although Harasawa has yet to publicly state his position on casino development, the LDP established Japan’s IR framework in 2018 under then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Takaichi, meanwhile, has expressed support for a second round of IR licensing as a way to boost international tourism. Yokohama was once regarded as the most promising of the cities competing for one of three IR licenses available nationwide. While some international operators, including Las Vegas Sands Corp., eventually abandoned their plans for Japan, Genting Singapore and Melco Resorts & Entertainment were among those aggressively pursuing opportunities in Yokohama before Yamanaka took office as mayor. Osaka is also viewed as one of Japan’s future casino hotspots, as MGM Resorts International executives have said that the upcoming casino in the city could even rival Las Vegas’s Marina Bay Sands.