Congratulations to Mr. Ryoji Kikura for being named an honorary citizen of Hokuryu Town! The ceremony was held at the Hokuryu Town Assembly Hall.

December 9, 2022
Feature Articles, Hokuryu Town Hall, Hokuryu Land Improvement District
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Friday, December 9, 2022

On Friday, December 8th, from 9:15am, the "Ryoji Kikura Honorary Citizen Recommendation Ceremony" was held prior to the 4th Hokuryu Town Council Regular Meeting of 2022. Ryoji Kikura (83 years old) will become the fifth person in Hokuryu Town to be named an honorary citizen, and the first in 31 years.

table of contents

1 Ceremony to nominate Ryoji Kikura as an honorary citizen
- 1.1 Greetings from Mr. Ryoji Kikura
- 1.2 Commemorative photo
2 Greetings from the representative of the promoters: Mayor Yutaka Sano
- 2.1 Organizer of the "Ryoji Kikura Honorary Citizen Nomination Ceremony and Celebration"
3 Other photos
4 Related articles

Ceremony to nominate Ryoji Kikura as an honorary citizen

The induction ceremony was scheduled for Sunday, November 27th, but was postponed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and was held this time.

As Hokuryu Town Council members and town hall staff looked on, Mayor Yutaka Sano awarded him the title of "Honorary Citizen of Hokuryu Town" and presented him with an honorary town medal and a one-time merit payment.

Awarded the title of "Certificate of Honorary Citizen"

Greetings from Mr. Ryoji Kikura

"I am still in good health, so I would like to continue to tell many people about Hokuryu Town, which protects food, life, food supplies, the environment, and lifestyles, as they say, 'food is life.' Thank you," said a powerful Mr. Kikura.

Ryoji Kikura, who upholds the spirit of "food is life"

Commemorative photo

Together with the Hokuryu Town Council members!

Together with Mayor Sano and Chairman Sasaki!

Greetings from the representative of the promoters: Mayor Yutaka Sano

We have received a speech (draft) from Mayor Yutaka Sano as the representative organizer of the "Ceremony and Celebration to Recommend Mr. Ryoji Kikura as an Honorary Citizen of the Town," and would like to introduce it to you.

With the recommendation of the agricultural cooperative and the consent of the heads of each agricultural organization, we have nominated Ryoji Kikura as an honorary town resident at the third regular assembly meeting of 2022, and with the understanding and unanimous consent of all the assembly members.

To date, there have been four people named honorary citizens of Hokuryu Town.

In October 1971, Goto Sanohachi, Murakami Asao, and Matsuwara Sakuzo were made honorary citizens, and in June 1991, Mori Shoichi was made an honorary citizen, making Mr. Kikura the fifth person to receive the honor.

After graduating from high school, Ryoji Kikura worked in the family business of farming, while also engaging in a wide range of activities, including volunteer work for the local fire department and youth group, and promoting physical education through track and field.He gained the trust of the local community and, as a young leader, was awarded the first commendation under the Hokuryu Town Commendation Ordinance in 1971, at the young age of 30.

In 1973, he was appointed director of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative Association, and he personally worked on natural farming methods that did not use any herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides for pest control.As a leading figure in clean agriculture in the town, he worked to spread this method and develop local agriculture, and in 1991 he was appointed representative director and chairman of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative Association.

Mr. Kikura's agricultural efforts inspired young agricultural leaders, and in 1988, at the suggestion of the agricultural cooperative youth division, a "Declaration for Safe Food Production to Protect the Lives and Health of the People" was made, and in 1990, the town, improvement district, and agricultural committee all made declarations.

Since then, under the philosophy of "food is life," the association has worked to develop agriculture and rural areas that aim to enrich the mind and body through agriculture and agricultural cooperative activities. This practice has spread among its members, and clean agriculture has become the cornerstone of production. The association has worked to improve the reputation of its production areas, with "Kirara 397 Rice Grown in Hokuryu Town" designated as a Special A district, and has achieved the highest collection capacity and yield per unit in the entire prefecture.

They also actively engaged in consumer interaction and worked to sell rice produced in Kitaryū Town, with 100% of the rice designated as being of a particular origin.

These efforts built the foundation for the current Hokuryu Sunflower Rice, and in 2017, it won the Grand Prize in the Collective Organization category at the 46th Japan Agriculture Awards. Hokuryu Sunflower Rice is a distinctive type of rice that has received high praise both within and outside of Hokkaido, and is also popular as a gift in return for hometown tax donations.

From the time he became chairman, Mr. Kikura advocated the need for large-scale mergers, and as a result, the Kita Sorachi Agricultural Cooperative was established in February 2000 by the eight agricultural cooperatives of Kita Sorachi, and he was appointed representative director and executive director.He demonstrated his skills as representative director and chairman from June 2002, until he retired in April 2007.

Even now, after retiring from his position as an executive officer of the agricultural cooperative, he is still active as a farmer, serving as an auditor for the Hokkaido Organic Agriculture Research Association.

From now on, we hope you will relax a little, stay healthy, and continue to provide us with your guidance.

Congratulations on your success today," said Mayor Sano.

Organizer of the "Ryoji Kikura Honorary Citizen Nomination Ceremony and Celebration"

Representative of the founders:Mayor of Hokuryu Town, Yutaka Sano
Founder: Yasuhiro Sasaki, Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Council
Founder: Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association Hokuryu District Representative Director, Kitakiyo Hirokuni
Founder: Hokuryu Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman, Masahito Fujii
Founder: Shigeki Mizutani, Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Committee
Founder: Junichi Fukase, Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Land Improvement District

With boundless love, gratitude and prayers for Ryoji Kikura's honorable and brilliant achievements

　
Ryoji Kikura has been awarded the prestigious title of "Honorary Citizen of Hokuryu Town," the fifth person to receive this honor!!!
We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations. Congratulations!
　
With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we salute Mr. Kikura Ryoji for his honorable and brilliant achievements in preserving and passing on the spirit of Hokuryu Town that "food is life."