㊗️ Mr. Yutaka Sano won uncontested election & appealed for building a town that "shares joy" in his street speech in the Hokuryu Town Mayoral Election.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

On Tuesday, January 28, at 9:00 a.m. on a bitterly cold morning with bright blue skies and a minimum temperature of 21°C below zero, the day of the Hokuryu election announcement was held in front of the Hokuryu Town Hall, where Yutaka Sano, who had completed his notification, gave a speech in front of many town residents.

soapbox speech

Greeting from Mr. Hitoshi Takebayashi, Director of the Election Task Force

Moderator: Mr. Satoshi Ono, Election Task Force

Guest Speech: Masahito Fujii, Hokuryu Town Council Member, Vice-Chairman

People listening in

Mr. Yutaka Sano First Speech on the Street

It is the coldest weather of the year. I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all of you who have gathered here in this severe cold weather and in the midst of your busy schedules. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all of you. Finally, the election for the Mayor of Hokuryu Town has been announced. I have decided to run for mayor for the third time in the hope that the citizens of Hokuryu-cho will be able to live in peace and that they will be happy. Please accept my best regards.

Creating a town where all residents can "share in the joy" of the town.

Today, amidst the drastic changes in society, we are facing a historic period of transformation in all areas, including global environmental issues and natural disasters that cause tremendous damage. I intend to promote the development of Hokuryu Town, where all residents can "share the joy" of the town, with emphasis on the environment, food, and health, making the most of the town's charms, safe and secure agricultural products with sunflowers at the core, and the recreational facility "Hokuryu Onsen".

Firm and strong promotion of agriculture in Hokuryu Town

The agricultural industry in Hokuryu-cho is attracting attention from all over the country for its safe agricultural products. As you already know, the Sunflower Rice Production Association has been certified under the JAS standard for agricultural products with production information disclosure. The Sunflower Rice Production Association is the only one in Hokuryu Town in Japan to have obtained this certification.

Hokuryu Town Sunflower Rice is the best and safest rice in Japan. The town has been visited by visitors from advanced rice-growing regions. The town was awarded the Grand Prize of Japan Agricultural Award for delivering safe food to consumers. Hokuryu Town's rice production is now the best in Japan.

Cherish the wishes for Hokuryu Town received from all over the country.

And in terms of hometown tax payments, Hokuryu-cho has received a large number of donations exceeding 300 million yen for five consecutive years from 2015 to the current fiscal year. This is because the safe agricultural products of Hokuryu Town, such as Sunflower Rice, Sunflower Melon, Kuro Sengoku Soybeans, and Tagara Mochi, are highly appreciated from all over Japan. The estimated amount of the hometown tax payment for this fiscal year is 542 million yen. We are very happy about this.

We value the thoughts and wishes for Hokuryu Town received from all over the country, and will use the funds carefully as they are valuable financial resources for future town development. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the growers who have been producing safe and secure wonderful rice for many years. We will continue to strongly promote the agriculture industry in Hokuryu Town by supporting the establishment of agricultural corporations, supporting the marriage of young successors, and actively accepting agricultural trainees.

To make Sunflower Village a year-round destination for tourists.

The number of visitors to Himawari-no-sato has been increasing year by year, and last year, although the Sunflower Festival was held for 5 days less than usual, 286,000 visitors, the second largest number ever, came to the area, making the area very crowded.

The number of tourists has been increasing year by year thanks to the sophisticated information dissemination through the Internet and the remarkable activities of North Dragon, a local hero started by the young people of the town. The Sunflower Village is now a spectacular sight not only in Japan but also in the world, and the scenery that captures the hearts of many who visit the village is the result of the efforts of the town's residents over the years. We are very happy to see this.

It has been 30 years since Sunflower Village was built. The observatory and the tourist center have deteriorated significantly. Sunflower Village is a one-month event from the end of July to the end of August. We would like to consider how we can hold various events to attract tourists throughout the year, after carefully examining the state of the Sunflower Village.

Children are the town's treasure, support children who are doing their best

Children are the treasure of our town and the foundation of our future. We will strive to provide the best child-rearing support in Japan so that all parents can raise their children with peace of mind.

According to the results of the national achievement test conducted last year, the average scores of 6th graders at Manryu Elementary School in math and 3rd graders at Hokuryu Junior High School in Japanese and math were the highest in Japan. The average scores in Hokkaido and Sorachi were below the national average, but the children of Hokuryu Town have achieved truly outstanding results in these areas. We will continue to support these hard-working children and teach them the importance of having dreams for the future and how to make those dreams come true, thereby fostering their social skills.

Two projects: snow protection and foot security.

Finally, when I finish this election, I would like to launch two projects. One is to create a northern winter lifestyle, and we are thinking about snow countermeasures. Town residents are having a very hard time with snow removal, so we are still pondering how we can make their lives more comfortable, but we would like to construct a snow countermeasure.

The other is to secure transportation for everyone. We are further improving public transportation. We have been using shared cabs and school buses, but we have received feedback that this is not a sufficient response, so we would like to organize a local public transportation system that will be acceptable to everyone.

I would like to discuss this matter at length with the council, the administration, and the citizens of this town, and with their understanding, I would like to serve my third term as town administrator. There are many more things I would like to talk about, but it is very cold, so I would like to end here.

We will do our best to create a town where the residents are happy.

We will fully promote welfare measures for the elderly and support for commerce and industry, and we ask for your understanding. I would like to conclude my opening remarks by asking you all to extend your support to me as I work hard to create a town where the citizens can live with peace of mind and where they can be happy. I would like to conclude my first speech by asking you all to extend your circle of support to me.

Ganbarou call by all

Ganbarou for the election of Yutaka Sano! and everyone chanted the "Ganbarou" call.

Tour in Hokuryu Town

After this, we will go around the town in our city advertising van until 5:00 pm, giving speeches in the streets.

Uncontested election: 5:00 p.m., broadcast over the town's emergency radio system

Shortly after 5:00 p.m., by the town's disaster radio broadcast,
As of 5:00 p.m. on January 28, 2020, we have closed the registration of candidates for the February 2, 2020 election in Beiryu. As a result, there was a tie for the number of candidates, one candidate, and the following candidate was elected unopposed.

Yutaka Sano, 68, independent, incumbent. Accordingly, we inform you that there will be no voting on February 2," the broadcast said.

Mr. Yutaka Sano has been elected unopposed. Congratulations!
I wish you continued success in your future endeavors as Mayor of the Town of Hokuryu for your third term.

With great respect, gratitude and prayers for the bright future of Hokuryu Town.

More Photos

▶ Yutaka Sano, Mayor of Hokuryu Town Election Click here for 42 photos of his street speech >>

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◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi