Exit polls show Japan PM’s ally losing Yokohama

TOKYO, August 22

An ally of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to lose the mayoral race in Yokohama on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK said, citing exit polls, in a blow for the unpopular premier who faces a general election this year. Exit polls pointed to a clear victory for the opposition-backed professor of public health Takeharu Yamanaka, NHK said.

The field of eight candidates also included the incumbent mayor, Hachiro Okonogi, who ran with Suga’s backing. The projected loss for Okonogi on the premier’s home turf just south of Tokyo is likely to pile more pressure on Suga, who was already under fire over surging Covid cases and a perception that he has been clumsy in handling the pandemic.

Suga’s approval ratings slid below 30% in August, fanning concerns in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party about his ability to lead the party into a general election that must be held by November 28. — Reuters