Nobuto Hosaka, the mayor of Setagaya Ward in Tokyo, said at a news conference on the 4th that he will be hospitalized for about three weeks from the 5th because of an existing illness. He said he can keep working online and will not appoint anyone to act in his place.
Hosaka said his condition is follicular lymphoma, a slow-growing form of blood cancer, and that he has been receiving treatment for it for eight years. Because it progresses slowly, regular testing and treatment have kept its effects in check and have not interfered with his duties, he said.
This time, he said, the medication he has been using needs to be changed, and detailed tests and observation as a precaution require the three-week stay.
Election plans unchanged
Hosaka has declared he will run for a fifth term in the unified local elections next spring. Asked about the ward race, he said there is no change and that he intends to tackle it properly.
Setagaya is one of Tokyo's most populous wards, and the mayor's illness leaves the question of who runs its administration during the hospital stay. Hosaka said online work will allow official duties to continue and that no acting mayor will be appointed.