No. 45 I have been appointed as the Chairperson of the Special Committee on Waste Management Measures

(Inagi Newsletter August 15, 2015 issue)

Currently, there are 813 cities (including special wards) nationwide, and there is an organization called the National Mayors' Association, which includes all mayors and ward heads. This organization became a registered body with the Minister of Home Affairs (now the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications) as a national federation of mayors due to the amendment of the Local Autonomy Act in 1963. In addition to conducting research and studies on local finance and administration, it also serves as a point of contact for discussions between the national and local governments in collaboration with the Association of Prefectural Governors, the Association of Towns and Villages, the Association of Prefectural Assembly Chairpersons, the Association of City Assembly Chairpersons, and the Association of Town and Village Assembly Chairpersons.
Since it is too large to operate as a national organization on a daily basis, there are branch offices at the block level as its subordinate organizations. Tokyo belongs to the Kanto branch, and as part of its organizational structure, there are mayoral associations from each prefecture.
This year, due to the unified local elections, large-scale personnel changes were made for various positions. At the Tokyo Mayors' Association General Meeting on April 28, 2015, I was elected to the Special Committee on Waste Management of the National Mayors' Association, taking over from the former mayor of Machida. It was my first experience being appointed as a member of the National Mayors' Association, and I approached the first meeting on June 9, 2015, with a sense of responsibility, where I received the baton from the Chairperson, the mayor of Kitahiroshima City, Hokkaido.
To be honest, I still feel hesitant to take on the role of Chairperson as a newcomer in my second term, but I am determined to fulfill this important responsibility while utilizing my experience in addressing waste and recycling issues as the administrator of the Tamagawa Sanitation Association.
In addition, with the appointment as Chairperson this time, I have been nominated as a member of the Policy Promotion Committee at the National Mayors' Association, and I will also serve as a director on the board, a council member, a member of the Welfare and Education Committee, and a member of the research group on measures against declining birthrates and Parenting support, which is likely to make me even busier.
On the other hand, I was also appointed as a member of the Central Environmental Council of the Ministry of the Environment, and I will belong to the Comprehensive Policy Committee and the Circular Society Committee.
In the current context where "sustainability" is a keyword in various administrative fields, the realization of a circular society is not a goal limited to environmental issues alone.
I will do my best to ensure that my appointment to these positions and the experiences I gain will contribute to the Community Development of Inagi City.