Abstract

"If this continues, Japan will die!
Shinji Ishimaru shares his sense of crisis in Japan,
Let each of us take an interest in politics and get moving.

Shinji Ishimaru is well known as an astute mayor who changed the municipal administration of Aki Takata City and helped the city get out of its budget deficit, while also implementing measures that are close to citizens, such as free school lunches and improvements in the educational system.

Shinji Ishimaru has steadily achieved results in his fight against the city council, which had been sitting on its laurels with the old system of thinking and stagnation, while promoting discussions that should have been held as a two-limit representative system of council and mayor.

Shinji Ishimaru has also pointed out harsh things to the media, which talked about the city government as if it had stagnated, and led them to correct reports.

The crisis he fears is a declining population.
If nothing is done, Japan's population will decrease by 13 million.
According to the “Long-Term National Land Outlook” interim report, the population is expected to decline significantly from the current 126.93 million to 115.22 million by 2030 and 95.15 million by 2050.
The population will decrease by 13 million people in 20 years.

I want you to recognize this number.

One in ten people will disappear from your neighborhood.

Can this decline be stopped?
What will happen if the population declines by 13 million people?
What will this decrease mean?
And if that happens,
What should we do with Japan?

Author’s Information

Shinji Ishimaru
Former Mayor of Akitakata City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Born in 1982. Graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Kyoto University in 2006. Joined Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. Transferred to New York as an analyst in 2014. Ran for mayor of Akitakata City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 2020, and won by a large margin. Has served as mayor since August of the same year. His local government YouTube channel has the most subscribers in Japan, surpassing Tokyo. He has been making headlines for his straightforward comments. X (formerly Twitter) has 400,000 followers. He will step down as mayor in June 2024 and run for Tokyo governor. He is considered one of the leading candidates.