Local News

The election for mayor in the small city of Akune, Kagoshima Prefecture received national attention when Mayor Shin’ichi Takehara ignored City Council, ruled by executive decree, and cut council member salaries by 90%. After several months of turmoil and two official calls to convene City Council by the prefectural government, a recall election was held, and local chicken breeder Yoshimasa Nishihira defeated Mr. Takehara 8,509 to 7,645. The mayor-elect said during the campaign that reform was necessary, and promised to cut municipal salaries by 15% and the number of council seats by two to six.