Hachiro Okonogi, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, prepares to attend a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on June 25, 2021, with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga coming into the room. (Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Hachiro Okonogi, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and a close ally of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, resigned from the Cabinet on Friday in order to run in the August election for mayor of Yokohama.

       The 56-year-old House of Representatives lawmaker was responsible for overseeing security for the Tokyo Olympics, which open in less than a month, as well as disaster response.

       Yokohama is Japan's second-largest city with a population of nearly 3.8 million and capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, located just to the southwest of Tokyo. The port city includes the constituencies of the lower house seats held by Suga and Okonogi.

       Okonogi will be succeeded by Yasufumi Tanahashi, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Headquarters for Promoting Administrative Reform.

       Okonogi is the second member of Suga's Cabinet to step down following Seiko Hashimoto, who resigned as Olympics minister in February to take over the post of the president of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee from former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

       Campaigning for the mayoral election begins Aug. 8 with votes to be cast Aug. 22. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to support Okonogi rather than incumbent Mayor Fumiko Hayashi, who has yet to say whether she will seek a fourth term.

       The outcome of the election will be closely watched ahead of the general election to be held later this year.

       One of the central issues of the election will be Yokohama's bid to host a casino after Japan legalized their operation as part of so-called integrated resorts in 2018. Okonogi has suggested he will oppose the plan.

       Okonogi is known to be close to Suga who served in the 1970s as a secretary for Okonogi's late father and former trade minister Hikosaburo Okonogi.

       Last September, Okonogi spearheaded Suga's successful campaign to become LDP leader and therefore prime minister.

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