Former Kyoto City civil servant… Emphasis on ‘youth’
Yawata mayoral election near Kyoto elected
The youngest female mayor in history was born in Yawata, near Kyoto, Japan.
According to NHK Broadcasting on the 13th, independent candidate Shoko Kawata (川田翔子, 33), recommended by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and others, was elected in the Yawata mayoral election held the day before. In 2020, she broke the record of Tokushima Mayor Sawako Naito, who was selected at the age of 36, as the youngest female mayor. President-elect Kawata expressed his thoughts, saying, “I will steadily promote cities that lead growth, promote attracting companies, and develop areas near stations, and do my best to improve welfare.”
Born in 1990, he graduated from Kyoto University’s Department of Economics and worked as a social welfare employee in Kyoto City. He entered politics after working as a secretary to a member of the House of Councilors (Senate) of the Liberal Democratic Party. Throughout this election campaign, he campaigned wearing a pink jumper and a shoulder sash with the words ‘33 years old’ written on it. He emphasized that he was young and female. According to the Asahi Shimbun, he has a younger brother who is five years older than him and has an intellectual disability. He said that when he was in high school, he dreamed of becoming a politician while watching the problems of educational administration support for his younger brother. President-elect Kawata said, “We have experienced situations such as giving up on child care on the front line of welfare and children’s counseling centers not functioning properly,” and added, “We will implement customized policies.”
In Japan, the number and proportion of female politicians is small, with only 10.3% of female lawmakers in the House of Representatives (House of Representatives). However, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, seemingly aware of criticism from all sectors of society about this phenomenon, selected five of the 19 cabinet members as women through a cabinet reshuffle in September this year. It is the largest ever.
The youngest mayor ever in Japan, including men, is Mayor Ryosuke Takashima (高島崚輔), who was elected at the age of 26 in May this year.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.