A 27-Year-Old High School Graduate from a Humble Background Became a Mayor... The Youngest Mayor Ever Elected in Japan

A 27-year-old Japanese man who had given up on attending university due to financial difficulties has attracted attention by being elected as the youngest mayor.

Ishida Kensuke. Photo by Ishida Kensuke Official Website

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On the 2nd, local media including NHK reported that Kensuke Ishida (石田健佑) was elected mayor of Odate City at the age of 27 in the mayoral election held the previous day, becoming the youngest mayor in history. This election was a by-election held to fill the vacancy that occurred for the first time in nine years after Junji Fukuhara, the mayor of Odate, resigned to run in the next House of Representatives election. Ishida won with a total of 12,882 votes, beating Kengo Hikage (55), a former city council member and a candidate supported by Mayor Fukuhara and the Komeito Akita Prefecture headquarters, by about 300 votes.

Mayor-elect Ishida was born in Odate City in 1997. He grew up in Aomori City due to his father’s transfer in the Self-Defense Forces. After graduating from high school, he was accepted to Keio University but gave up enrolling because he could not pay the entrance fee. After working at several companies, he founded a web production company in 2018. Later, he returned to Odate City, where his grandparents live, and started a beetle-breeding company called "Tomushi (TOMUSHI)." Founded together with his twin brother, the company has now expanded to the point of being close to going public.

An election poster of Kensuke Ishida emphasizing the age of 27.
[Photo by Ishida's official website]

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Mayor-elect Ishida campaigned on job creation. He gained citizens’ support by proposing measures such as partnering with local companies to increase hiring and secure talent, and attracting companies in new industries demanded by young people to prevent population outflow. Odate City is currently experiencing rapid population decline and aging. As of the end of July this year, the population is less than 66,000, a decrease of more than 10,000 compared to ten years ago.

In his inaugural address, Ishida said, "To solve the region’s challenges, politics must be done not by me alone but together with city hall staff," adding, "To overcome the problems of low birthrate and aging, the power of both staff and citizens is needed. Let’s change together." He continued, "I expect attention because I am the youngest mayor in the country, but regardless of age, I will work with citizens to solve local problems," and stated, "I will properly develop new industries so that young people want to continue living in Odate."

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