Key Facts
• Gen Nakagawa, 49, announced candidacy for Nara mayoral election in July 2025.
• Nakagawa has served as Nara’s mayor for 16 years since 2009.
• He aims for a fifth term, emphasizing fiscal reforms and infrastructure projects.
• Key achievements include financial reconstruction and new crematorium construction.
• Nakagawa prioritizes relocating waste management facilities and continuing reforms.
• He dismissed concerns about the negative effects of extended terms.
• Nakagawa will run as an independent without party endorsements.
• Other candidates include Atsuko Nakamura (Communist Party-backed) and Hiroko Kita (civic group leader).
• Multiple city council factions are working to field a unified candidate.
Summary
Gen Nakagawa, the 49-year-old incumbent mayor of Nara, has announced his candidacy for the upcoming mayoral election in July 2025. Having served four terms since 2009, Nakagawa seeks a fifth term, highlighting his achievements in fiscal reforms and infrastructure development, such as the construction of a new crematorium. He identified the relocation of waste management facilities as a critical future challenge and emphasized the importance of continuing reforms and engaging with citizens. Running as an independent, Nakagawa ruled out seeking party endorsements and dismissed concerns about the drawbacks of extended terms. Other candidates include Atsuko Nakamura, backed by the Communist Party, and Hiroko Kita, a civic group leader. Meanwhile, several city council factions are collaborating to propose a unified candidate.
