In the city of Ashiya, Japan, history was made when 26-year-old Ryosuke Takashima was elected as the nation’s youngest-ever mayor, defeating three rivals, including the incumbent, with over 46% of the votes in the mayoral election held on April 23. Takashima’s win is significant, as Japan’s parliament is mostly made up of members aged 50 to 70, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Takashima, who graduated from Harvard University, considers his age irrelevant, stating that what he can achieve is more important. He has been the head of the non-profit organization Ryugaku Fellowship, which supports students planning to study abroad since 2016, and has accomplished many things throughout his career.
During his campaign, he focused on supporting young families, providing free medical care for people under 18 years old, and enhancing English education programs in Ashiya city, located in the Hyogo Prefecture. He also promised to create more public spaces and parks and reform education, childcare, and youth healthcare.
Takashima hopes that people will evaluate him based on his results, not his age, and wants to make Ashiya the most desirable city in the world to live in. He believes his youth will give him the energy to be more active than anyone else and accomplish his goals.
His victory in the Ashiya mayoral election was by a large margin, breaking the previous record held by Kotaro Shishida, who was elected as the mayor of Musashimurayama in western Tokyo in 1994 and was the youngest mayor at the time, according to the Japan Association of City Mayors.
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