Key Facts
• Former mayor lost position due to academic fraud, triggering Ito mayoral election.
• Nine candidates are running, marking the largest election in Ito’s history.
• Key issues include restoring stalled governance, inflation, and economic measures.
• Citizen satisfaction survey: 37.3% find Ito livable, 24.3% find it inconvenient.
• Top citizen concerns: daily life inconvenience, lack of jobs, insufficient healthcare.
• Candidate priorities:
– Masaki Torioka: “Promise for the Future” with actionable solutions.
– Akemi Ishijima: “Clean and Honest Governance” to restore trust.
– Tatsuya Ono: “Stabilizing Governance and Daily Life.”
– Kanji Iwabuchi: “Transparency and Normalization of Governance.”
– Noriyuki Kurotsubo: “Healthcare and Economic Revitalization.”
– Kenya Sugimoto: “Progressive Governance for Modern Challenges.”
– Maki Takubo: “Reform and Growth Strategies.”
– Yasuhiro Ohno: “New Library Construction.”
– Nanako Suzuki: “Opposition to Foreign Mega-Solar Projects.”
• Public facility priorities: 44.1% support rebuilding the tourism hall, 30.2% support library upgrades.
• Economic measures favored by citizens: 57.3% prefer paper vouchers, 44.2% support cashless payment incentives.
• Election day is December 14, 2025.
Summary
The Ito mayoral election, prompted by the previous mayor’s resignation over academic fraud, has nine candidates vying for office, the largest in the city’s history. Key issues include restoring governance, addressing inflation, and economic revitalization. Candidates’ platforms range from clean governance and healthcare improvements to economic growth and infrastructure upgrades. A citizen satisfaction survey highlights daily life inconvenience, lack of jobs, and insufficient healthcare as top concerns. Public facility priorities include rebuilding the tourism hall and upgrading libraries. Economic measures like paper vouchers and cashless payment incentives are favored by citizens. The election will take place on December 14, 2025.
