Shinagawa Ward Mayor, who is too beautiful, looks aghast…Hanakawa, the mayor of Tokyo’s Kita Ward, “I want to be the oldest head of a ward and be listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
In this age of declining birthrates and an aging population, the population of one place is aging at an alarming rate. The “mayors of Tokyo’s 23 wards.
The average age of the 10 mayors of Tokyo’s 23 wards is 65. The oldest, Hanakawa Yosota, the mayor of Tokyo’s Kita Ward, is 87 years old.
At a New Year’s party, Mayor Hanakawa announced the introduction of free school lunch for elementary and junior high school students in the ward, and at the end of last year he told those around him that he was aiming to make the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest mayor and that he had some unfinished business to take care of.
He said, “The aging of the mayors of Tokyo’s 23 wards has become quite remarkable: among the leaders of the 23 wards, in addition to 87-year-old Mayor Hanakawa, there are seven other late-elderly ward leaders, meaning those who are 75 years old or older. When they and the 40-something mayors of Chiyoda and Shinagawa wards stand side by side, they look like ‘grandfather and grandchildren'” (metropolitan government reporter).
There are also younger mayors, such as Takaaki Higuchi, 40, the youngest mayor of Chiyoda Ward, and Kyoko Morisawa, 44, the much-talked-about beautiful mayor of Shinagawa Ward. However, only four of the 23 ward mayors are under 50 years old.
Compared to Diet members, the oldest is Toshihiro Nikai of the Liberal Democratic Party at 83, but the youngest is Yuki Baba of the Constitutional Democratic Party at 30, and the average age is 56, so the average age of 23 ward mayors is 65, which is quite old.
Why are the 23 wards’ mayors older than other politicians? Professor Jun Kitajima of the Graduate University of Social Design, an expert on local politics, offers this analysis.
The 23 wards are basic municipalities like other cities, towns, and villages, but they are the “lap of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government,” a huge city with a daytime population of more than 15 million people and a larger budget than that of an average nation. Although there are various issues such as the declining birthrate, aging population, and financial crisis, residents are more likely to follow the status quo as long as the ward provides stable administrative services, rather than feeling a sense of imminent crisis.
Unlike the Tokyo gubernatorial election, where a star of Japanese politics is chosen, the ward mayor election does not attract so much attention, so floating votes cannot be expected. Because of this, incumbents with organizational strength often have an advantage, which tends to lead to multiple elections and aging of the population.
Mr. Kitajima continues, “The length of political experience that comes with a long list of elections is also a weapon.
Politicians such as Shigeru Uchida, the former secretary general of the Tokyo Metropolitan Federation of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who passed away last year, are not limited to coordinating between the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, but also play a key role in coordinating the interests of the ruling party, Diet members, bureaucrats in Kasumigaseki, and private companies.
The council’s wealth of political experience comes in handy as it coordinates with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Nagatacho, and Kasumigaseki in order to move policies forward. In ward administration as well, the incumbent, who has a wealth of political experience and knows every detail of the administration, will be able to demonstrate his or her “coordinating ability” and build up a track record, which will probably give the highly elected mayor an advantage in the election as well.
Perhaps due to such circumstances, only Ota Ward Mayor Tadayoshi Matsubara and others have indicated that they will not run in the ward mayoral election for the 12 wards to be held in April this year, and the incumbents are expected to run in the remaining 10 wards. Hanakawa, the mayor of Kita Ward, also announced his candidacy on February 9, and if elected, he will turn 90 years old during his term in office.
At 90 years old, he is quite elderly. Naturally, there are concerns about whether his physical strength and political skills will be affected. Some senior ward officials have voiced their concerns.
When Shinagawa Ward Mayor Morisawa, a symbol of generational change, was asked on February 2, 2023, at the announcement of the general meeting budget for fiscal year Reiwa, about the “multiple election and aging” of the 23 ward leaders, he replied, “I think it’s a good thing.
She said, “The inclusion of people of various ages, genders, and backgrounds in the political arena will enable the ward to meet the diverse needs of its residents. Ultimately, the people of the ward elect (the ward mayor), so it is up to the people of the ward to decide.”
–Most of the ward mayors who have been elected many times and are elderly are willing to run in the next election.
I would like to refrain from commenting on other wards.”
The young 44-year-old mayor was not so forthcoming.
Of course, elections should be judged on the basis of policy and ability, not age, but perhaps a system similar to a mandatory retirement age is needed to encourage young people to participate in politics and trigger a generational shift.
Interview and text by： Daisuke Iwasaki
