Invigorating local communities across Japan Alumni City Mayors
Local UTokyo Project 23: Alumni City Mayors
The UTokyo Alumni Association is composed of various groups, among which the Akamon Mayors' Association uniquely features a diverse range of regional colors. Like its name suggests, the group, which was established in 2013, consists of graduates who are now serving as city mayors across Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa. As of June 2017, it has 43 members and 15 associate members (former city mayors). This is the second largest university alumni association of city mayors, after Waseda University’s (as of academic year 2016).
City mayors at the general meeting.
Members singing Tada Hitotsu, a UTokyo song, under the lead of Mr. Nakamura, Mayor of Koga City.
The Akamon Mayors' Association convenes its own general meeting right after the General Meeting of the Japan Association of City Mayors (from 814 cities) held in Chiyoda City every June. The most recent meeting was attended by 27 members seeking not only to deepen their friendships, but also to exchange information and contribute to the progression of local autonomy in their capacity as municipal leaders.
Mr. Matsuura, Mayor of Matsue City, serves as the chairman of the Akamon Mayors' Association.
It is also worth noting the contributions that the Akamon Mayors' Association makes to the University. The group has been involved in the Hands-on Activity Programs run by the university since the beginning, providing students with opportunities to expose themselves to different lifestyles and values. In academic year 2017, the group offered programs for on-site learning in the Kaga hot spring area in Ishikawa Prefecture, work experience with the Akashi City government in Hyogo Prefecture, and a trial stay in Ohasama, Hanamaki City in Iwate Prefecture.
As the table below shows, many of the graduates now working as city mayors have assumed the position in their home prefectures. Bursting with ambition, they had traveled all the way from their hometowns to pursue knowledge at the University of Tokyo, eventually returning home to lead their local governments. This spirit is sure to be passed down as younger graduates follow in their footsteps.
Profiles of the 43 members of the Akamon Mayors' Association
| Photo | Prefecture | City | Name | Department | Home Prefecture (location of high school) | Memories of the University |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Hokkaido | Fukagawa City | Takafumi Yamashita | Faculty of Law | Hokkaido | Cinema club (Komaba) |
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Aomori Prefecture | Aomori City | Akihiko Onodera | Faculty of Economics | Aomori Prefecture | Ice hockey club |
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Iwate Prefecture | Hanamaki City | Toichi Ueda | Faculty of Law | Iwate Prefecture | Mountaineering club of the Faculty of Law |
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Yamagata Prefecture | Yamagata City | Takahiro Sato | Faculty of Law | Tokyo | Debate club |
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Fukushima Prefecture | Koriyama City | Masato Shinagawa | Faculty of Law | Fukushima Prefecture | Professor Masao Maruyama’s seminar group |
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Fukushima Prefecture | Date City | Shoji Nishida | Faculty of Engineering | Tokyo | Yacht club and koto music club |
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Ibaraki Prefecture | Toride City | Shingo Fujii | Faculty of Law | Kagoshima Prefecture | Life in the YMCA dormitory |
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Ibaraki Prefecture | Hitachinaka City | Motoki Honma | Faculty of Economics | Ishikawa Prefecture | Chorus club |
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Tochigi Prefecture | Oyama City | Toshio Okubo | Graduate School | Tochigi Prefecture | |
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Gunma Prefecture | Takasaki City | Kenji Tomioka | Faculty of Law | Gunma Prefecture | |
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Chiba Prefecture | Matsudo City | Kenji Hongoya | Faculty of Economics | Aichi Prefecture | Rugby club |
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Tokyo | Nerima City | Akio Maekawa | Faculty of Law | Kagoshima Prefecture | Life in the Komaba dormitory |
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Niigata Prefecture | Kamo City | Kiyohiko Koike | Faculty of Law | Niigata Prefecture | |
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Niigata Prefecture | Tokamachi City | Yoshifumi Sekiguchi | Faculty of Law | Tokyo | Tennis club |
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Toyama Prefecture | Takaoka City | Masaki Takahashi | Faculty of Law | Toyama Prefecture | Contemporary international law research club |
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Gifu Prefecture | Ogaki City | Bin Ogawa | Faculty of Law | Gifu Prefecture | Hiking club |
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Aichi Prefecture | Toyohashi City | Koichi Sahara | Faculty of Engineering | Aichi Prefecture | Wind tunnel experiments in winter |
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Aichi Prefecture | Ichinomiya City | Masayasu Nakano | Faculty of Law | Aichi Prefecture | Professor Kobayakawa’s seminar (administrative law) |
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Mie Prefecture | Tsu City | Yasuyuki Maeba | Faculty of Law | Mie Prefecture | Chorus group (Hakuyo Choir) |
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Mie Prefecture | Kumano City | Kanji Kawakami | Faculty of Medicine | Mie Prefecture | |
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Shiga Prefecture | Moriyama City | Kazuhiro Miyamoto | Faculty of Engineering | Osaka Prefecture | Bicycle club |
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Osaka Prefecture | Minoh City | Tetsuro Kurata | Faculty of Law | Tokyo | |
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Hyogo Prefecture | Kobe City | Kizo Hisamoto | Faculty of Law | Hyogo Prefecture | Living in the Toshima dormitory (in charge of financial affairs) |
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Hyogo Prefecture | Akashi City | Fusaho Izumi | Faculty of Education | Hyogo Prefecture | Life in the Komaba dormitory |
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Hyogo Prefecture | Itami City | Yasuyuki Fujiwara | Faculty of Engineering | Hyogo Prefecture | Shakuhachi (vertical bamboo flute) club |
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Hyogo Prefecture | Kakogawa City | Yasuhiro Okada | Faculty of Engineering | Hyogo Prefecture | Racing ski club |
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Hyogo Prefecture | Minami Awaji City | Kazuhiro Morimoto | Faculty of Law | Hyogo Prefecture | Devotion to tennis |
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Nara Prefecture | Tenri City | Ken Namikawa | Faculty of Law | Nara Prefecture | Komaba Festival (Runner-up in the Mr. Todai competition) |
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Wakayama Prefecture | Wakayama City | Masahiro Obana | Faculty of Engineering | Wakayama Prefecture | Yacht club |
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Shimane Prefecture | Matsue City | Masataka Matsuura | Faculty of Law | Shimane Prefecture | Debate club |
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Shimane Prefecture | Hamada City | Shoichi Kubota | Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics | Shimane Prefecture | Life in the Komaba dormitory |
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Shimane Prefecture | Masuda City | Hiroaki Yamamoto | Faculty of Law | Shiga Prefecture | Life in the Komaba dormitory |
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Okayama Prefecture | Okayama City | Masao Omori | Faculty of Law | Okayama Prefecture | Devotion to tennis |
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Okayama Prefecture | Kurashiki City | Kaori Ito | Faculty of Law | Tokyo | Badminton club |
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Okayama Prefecture | Mimasaka City | Seiji Hagiwara | College of Arts and Sciences | Okayama Prefecture | Wrestling club |
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Kagawa Prefecture | Takamatsu City | Hideto Onishi | Faculty of Law | Kagawa Prefecture | Tennis club |
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Fukuoka Prefecture | Kitakyushu City | Kenji Kitahashi | Faculty of Law | Hyogo Prefecture | Life in the Mitaka and Oiwake dormitories |
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Fukuoka Prefecture | Koga City | Ryuzo Nakamura | Faculty of Economics | Fukuoka Prefecture | Cheer squad |
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Saga Prefecture | Takeo City | Tadashi Komatsu | Faculty of Law | Kyoto Prefecture | Chorus club |
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Saga Prefecture | Kashima City | Hisatoshi Higuchi | Faculty of Law | Saga Prefecture | Yasuda Auditorium incident |
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Oita Prefecture | Oita City | Kiichiro Sato | Faculty of Economics | Oita Prefecture | Shorinji Kempo martial arts club |
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Miyazaki Prefecture | Miyakonojo City | Takahisa Ikeda | Graduate School | Miyazaki Prefecture | Playing tennis day and night |
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Okinawa Prefecture | Itoman City | Akira Uehara | Faculty of Economics | Okinawa Prefecture | Yasuda Auditorium incident |
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32 Local UTokyo Projects
Held across Japan, from Kanto, Chubu and Western Tokyo to Itabashi and Hongo Numerous projects are being held across Japan by the University of Tokyo, and we introduce 32 of them in this edition of Tansei. On themes as varied as teacher training, farming, production of local goods and association football, these projects are just some examples of those now under way. UTokyo was, is, and will be engaging in projects with partners all across the country. |
Note: This article was originally printed in Tansei 35 (Japanese language only). All information in this article is as of September 2017.
