Sapporo mayoral race takes shape with Olympics and foreign population in focus

Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto’s successor will face the question of whether to revive the city’s bid for the Winter Olympics. | AFLO

Oct 26, 2026

SAPPORO – Sapporo’s mayoral race is taking shape after Katsuhiro Akimoto announced he will not seek a fourth term next spring.

The city’s next leader will face questions that include whether to revive Sapporo’s Olympic ambitions and how to respond to a foreign population that has nearly tripled since Akimoto’s first term.

Akimoto, who was first elected in 2015 on pledges to expand the city’s economy through tourism, said he decided not to seek another term partly because he felt he had accomplished what he set out to do.

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