No.127 Visit to Ozora Town by the New and Old Mayors

From May 15 to 16, I visited our Sister City, Ozora Town in Hokkaido, together with the Chairman of the Watanabe City Council. I expressed my gratitude to the former mayor, Mr. Eiji Yamashita, who resigned on April 22 after his term ended, and paid a courtesy visit to the new mayor, Mr. Kazumasa Matsukawa, who took office on the 23rd, as well as greeting the new Chairman of the Town Council, Mr. Tetsuki Haramoto, and the new Vice Chairman, Mr. Koji Saito.

Former Mayor Yamashita Maechou started working at the Memanbetsu Town Hall in 1978, and after serving as the Agricultural Policy Section Chief and the Planning and Coordination Section Chief, he ran for mayor in 2003 during his time as the Planning and Finance Section Chief and was elected for the first time. Immediately after taking office, he accomplished the significant task of merging with the former Higashimokoto Village, and in 2006, he was re-elected as the Mayor of Ozora Town at the same time as the establishment of Ozora Town. He has dedicated himself to the development of the town for a total of 16 years over 4 terms, and if counted from his time as the Mayor of Memanbetsu, it amounts to 19 years over 5 terms.
At the young age of 62, I had the impression that you still have plenty of energy and stamina to remain active. However, in response to a general question at the town council last December, you expressed your determination not to run in the April 2022 election in order to pass the baton at the end of your current term.
I was surprised by the abrupt announcement of resignation, but it seems that Mr. Yamashita has always been considering his timing for stepping down since the moment he was first elected as the mayor of Memanbetsu.
On November 6th last year, you came to Inagi City and attended the 50th anniversary ceremony of the city’s establishment. At that time, you did not say anything, but later I learned that you had already made your decision, which left me feeling a bit disappointed.

I have visited Memanbetsu Town and Ozora Town a total of 7 times. The first time was in 1999, when I visited to interact with the Memanbetsu Fire Brigade as the division chief of the Inagi City Fire Brigade. The mayor at that time was the predecessor of Mr. Yamashita. The second time was in 2003, when I visited as part of the executive board of the Inagi City Employees Union. Although it was a friendly trip, I remember that Mr. Yamashita, who was elected mayor of Memanbetsu for the first time that year, welcomed us very warmly.
The fourth visit was in 2011, the year I was first elected as mayor, when I received an invitation to the "Memanbetsu Tourism Summer Festival" and visited Ozora Town, where I was guided through the former Higashimokoto area for the first time.
Since then, Mr. Yamashita has come to Inagi, and I have gone to Ozora Town, deepening our mutual exchange.
The people of Ozora Town have always welcomed us warmly, making us feel at home whenever we visit. It feels lonely to think that Mr. Yamashita, who was at the center of it all, is no longer with us.

Mayor Matsukawa started working at the Memanbetsu Town Hall in 1992 and has experience in various departments such as General Affairs, Welfare, Commerce and Industry, Construction, the Board of Education, and the Social Welfare Council. He is well-versed in the administration of Ozora Town. During this meeting with Mayor Matsukawa, we promised to continue and develop our Sister City exchange.
Thank you, Mr. Yamashita, for a long time. And, Mr. Matsukawa, I look forward to working with you from now on.
We will promote the Sister City exchange project while hoping for the development of Ozora Town and the deepening of the bond between the two municipalities. We wish for further deepening of exchanges among citizens.