Soichiro Takashima has been re-elected as the mayor of Fukuoka. This will be the 44-year-old Liberal Democratic Party representative’s third term in office. Mayor Takashima defeated Japanese Communist Party member Takayuki Kamiya on a 31.42% turnout. This is the lowest recorded voter turnout for the city’s mayoral election. During the election campaign, Mayor Takashima pointed to the number of international conferences and sports events that the city has hosted as a sign of his success. He also emphasized the importance of the ongoing urban regeneration project that has been taking place since the city’s designation as a National Strategic Special Zone. Mr. Kamiya was critical of the mayor’s large-scale redevelopment plans, including the proposed ropeway that will connect Hakata Station with the port, but his policies failed to gain sufficient traction with local residents. Source: Asahi Shimbun, 11/18/2018
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/soichiro.takashima.33
Disclaimer: Fukuoka Now posts summaries of Kyushu area related news for the benefit of those who cannot read Japanese. Contents posted here are mostly summaries of publicly posted news stories from Japanese media organizations. Errors might occur during translation. Those errors are ours, and not the news source’s. Photos and images are sourced separately and are for illustrative purposes only. Please use this form to send feedback and questions.
