Japan’s Governors and Mayors of Designated Cities
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In nine gubernatorial elections on April 9, 2023, six governors were reelected, while three were elected for the first time. As the former governor of Ōita Prefecture decided not to run, and the former governor of Nara Prefecture lost his election, all 47 current governors were now born in the postwar era. Their average age is 60.3 years; Nagasaki Governor Ōishi Kengo is the youngest at 40, and Kumamoto Governor Kabashima Ikuo the oldest at 76. There are just two women: Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Yamagata Governor Yoshimura Mieko.
Around half (23 of 47) of Japan’s prefectural governors previously worked in central government ministries, including 10 in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; 5 in the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry; 4 in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism; 2 in the Ministry of Finance; and 1 each in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The MIC has jurisdiction over the financing of regional authorities and works closely with them. Of the 10 MIC alumni, 6 were elected as governors in prefectures to which they were seconded in posts including deputy governor, rather than their home prefectures.
Japan’s 47 Prefectural Governors
| Prefecture | Name | Previous Position(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaidō | Suzuki Naomichi | Yūbari mayor |
| Aomori | Mimura Shingo | House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Iwate | Tasso Takuya | Ministry of Foreign Affairs; House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Miyagi | Murai Yoshihiro | Miyagi Prefectural Assembly |
| Akita | Satake Norihisa | Akita mayor |
| Yamagata | Yoshimura Mieko | Administrative scrivener |
| Fukushima | Uchibori Masao | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Fukushima Prefecture deputy governor) |
| Ibaraki | Ōigawa Kazuhiko | Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry |
| Tochigi | Fukuda Tomikazu | Utsunomiya mayor |
| Gunma | Yamamoto Ichita | House of Councillors lawmaker |
| Saitama | Ōno Motohiro | House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Chiba | Kumagai Toshihito | Chiba mayor |
| Tokyo | Koike Yuriko | House of Representatives lawmaker (minister of the environment, minister of defense, etc.) |
| Kanagawa | Kuroiwa Yūji | News presenter |
| Niigata | Hanazumi Hideyo | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (Niigata Prefecture deputy governor) |
| Toyama | Nitta Hachirō | Company employee |
| Ishikawa | Hase Hiroshi | House of Councillors lawmaker; House of Representatives lawmaker (minister of education, culture, sports, science, and technology) |
| Fukui | Sugimoto Tatsuji | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Fukui Prefecture deputy governor) |
| Yamanashi | Nagasaki Kōtarō | Ministry of Finance; House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Nagano | Abe Shuichi | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Nagano Prefecture deputy governor) |
| Gifu | Furuta Hajime | Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry |
| Shizuoka | Kawakatsu Heita | President of Shizuoka University of Art and Culture |
| Aichi | Ōmura Hideaki | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Mie | Ichimi Katsuyuki | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism |
| Shiga | Mikazuki Taizō | House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Kyoto | Nishiwaki Takatoshi | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism |
| Osaka | Yoshimura Hirofumi | House of Representatives lawmaker; Osaka mayor |
| Hyōgo | Saitō Motohiko | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Nara | Yamashita Makoto | Ikoma mayor |
| Wakayama | Kishimoto Shūhei | Ministry of Finance; House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Tottori | Hirai Shinji | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Tottori Prefecture deputy governor) |
| Shimane | Maruyama Tatsuya | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Okayama | Ibaragi Ryūta | Company president |
| Hiroshima | Yuzaki Hidehiko | Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry; IT company executive |
| Yamaguchi | Muraoka Tsugumasa | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Tokushima | Gotōda Masazumi | House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Kagawa | Ikeda Toyohito | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism |
| Kōchi | Hamada Seiji | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Ehime | Nakamura Tokihiro | House of Representatives lawmaker; Matsuyama mayor |
| Fukuoka | Hattori Seitarō | Deputy governor |
| Saga | Yamaguchi Yoshinori | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Nagasaki | Ōishi Kengo | Doctor |
| Kumamoto | Kabashima Ikuo | University of Tokyo professor emeritus |
| Ōita | Satō Kiichirō | Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry; Ōita mayor |
| Miyazaki | Kōno Shunji | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Miyazaki Prefecture deputy governor) |
| Kagoshima | Shiota Kōichi | Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry |
| Okinawa | Tamaki Denny | House of Representatives lawmaker |
Created by Nippon.com. Highlights indicate governors who formerly worked in central ministries. Current ministry names are given, including cases where they went by different names when governors were working there.
At 58.8 years, the average age of mayors of Japan’s 20 designated cities is slightly lower than that for governors. The youngest is newly elected Osaka Mayor Yokoyama Hideyuki at 41, and the oldest is Nagoya Mayor Kawamura Takashi at 74. There are seven mayors who have worked at central ministries. Because municipalities are directly connected to citizens’ lives, many mayors have experience as employees in local authorities or as members of city or prefectural assemblies.
Japan’s 20 Mayors of Designated Cities
| City | Name | Previous Position(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sapporo | Akimoto Katsuhiro | Sapporo deputy mayor |
| Sendai | Kōri Kazuko | House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Saitama | Shimizu Hayato | Saitama Prefectural Assembly |
| Chiba | Kamiya Shun’ichi | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Chiba deputy mayor) |
| Kawasaki | Fukuda Norihiko | Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly |
| Yokohama | Yamanaka Takeharu | Yokohama City University professor |
| Sagamihara | Motomura Kentarō | House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Niigata | Nakahara Yaichi | House of Councillors lawmaker |
| Shizuoka | Nanba Takashi | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (Shizuoka Prefecture deputy governor) |
| Hamamatsu | Nakano Yūsuke | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Nagoya | Kawamura Takashi | House of Representatives lawmaker |
| Kyoto | Kadokawa Daisaku | Kyoto Board of Education head |
| Osaka | Yokoyama Hideyuki | Osaka Prefectural Assembly |
| Sakai | Nagafuji Hideki | Osaka Prefectural Assembly |
| Kobe | Hisamoto Kizō | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Okayama | Ōmori Masao | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism |
| Hiroshima | Matsui Kazumi | Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare |
| Fukuoka | Takashima Sōichirō | News presenter |
| Kitakyūshū | Takeuchi Kazuhisa | Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare |
| Kumamoto | Ōnishi Kazufumi | Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly |
Created by Nippon.com. Highlights indicate governors who formerly worked in central ministries. Current ministry names are given, including cases where they went by different names when governors were working there.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Jiji.)