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Bloomberg
Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga suffered a fresh blow amid criticism of his pandemic management, when his favoured candidate lost an election for mayor in city where he began his political career.
Hachiro Okonogi was defeated by Takeharu Yamanaka, a former university professor supported by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in the race for mayor of Yokohama, according to results posted by the city government. LDP votes in Japan’s second most-populous city were divided between Okonogi and the incumbent mayor, which also hampered his campaign.
Okonogi’s loss bodes ill for Suga’s prospects in a looming party leadership poll and a general election that must be held by the end of November.
It comes with support for Suga slumping to record lows in recent media polls, as the number of Covid-19 cases surged to levels never seen before in Japan.