Fumiko Hayashi, former chairwoman of the Daiei supermarket chain, was elected mayor of Yokohama on Aug. 30.

Although she ran as an independent, Hayashi rode on the coattails of the Democratic Party of Japan's landslide victory in the national election.

With the backing of the DPJ, the 63-year-old Hayashi campaigned on her experience of turning around Daiei Inc., and pledged to cut public debt and provide assistance for working parents using the expertise she gained as a corporate executive.

Kenji Nakanishi, 45, a former deputy president of JPMorgan Securities Japan Co., finished a close second. Masahiko Okada, 43, of the Japanese Communist Party, also ran.

The election was made necessary by the resignation of Hiroshi Nakada in late July. His second term as mayor had been scheduled to run out next April.