Career Design Camp 2025: From construction company president to mayor. Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki talks about his vision for the future of Hokuryu Town

September 4, 2025
special feature article, Hokuryu Town, Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki Activity Report, Regional revitalization 2.0
62 times viewed

Friday, September 5, 2025

After serving as president of a construction company and then as a council member for 38 years over nine terms, why did he choose the path to becoming mayor? Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki answers questions from students participating in the Career Design Camp, and passionately discusses his resolve as a leader, the potential Hokuryu Town has, and his vision for the town's future 10 years from now based on the "Seven Pillars." Everything about the town's new challenges is here, from utilizing hometown tax donations to the "playful spirit" he expects from the construction industry of the future.

Table of Contents

1 Yasuhiro Sasaki, Mayor and Construction Company President to Mayor: The Background of His Decision
- 1.1 Q. Why did you decide to become mayor after being the president of a construction company?
- 1.2 Q. Even though there were things you could have done as a council member or president, what made you decide to run for mayor?
2 Mayor Sasaki's vision for the future of Hokuryu
3 Hokuryu Town's Strengths and Investing in the Future
4 Future urban development and a message to young people
- 4.1 Q. From your administrative position as mayor, what role do you think the construction industry should play in future town development?
- 4.2 Q. How would you like to develop connections like the Hokuryu Tokyo Conference that were born from your interactions with everyone?
5 More Photos
6 Related Articles and Websites

Yasuhiro Sasaki, Mayor and Construction Company President to Mayor: The Background of His Decision

9月2日（火）09：30より、北竜町役場の応接室が、未来を担う若者たちの熱気に包まれました。キャリアデザインキャンプに参加する6名の大学生が、佐々木康宏町長との対談に臨んだのです。

建設、そして保育。それぞれの専門分野の視点から、学生たちが投げかける鋭く、そして真摯な質問の数々。
佐々木町長は、その一つひとつの想いを真正面から受け止め、ご自身の経験と未来へのビジョンを熱く語ります。

世代を超えた真剣な言葉のキャッチボールが繰り広げられた、活発な対談の模様をお届けします。

Q. Why did you decide to become mayor after being the president of a construction company?

Before becoming Mayor, I served as a town council member for nine terms, a total of approximately 38 years, including five terms as chairman. During that time, I take pride in knowing all the townspeople, from town hall staff and various organizations to, of course, children and the elderly.

Hokuryu is a small town with a population of just under 1,600, so even if I don't know anything about a baby born yesterday, I know everyone who was born within the last month. After such long political experience, I began to feel uneasy about the future of Hokuryu.

This town has a 45-year history of growing sunflowers, and it's a truly exciting town with great potential that goes beyond population size alone. I have always wanted to make use of the town's various resources to realize something like a "Second Phase of Hokuryu Revitalization." This desire coincided with the timing of my candidacy for mayor, so I decided to run. So, for me, my work is an extension of my previous activities.

Q. Even though there were things you could have done as a council member or president, what made you decide to run for mayor?

When it comes to town development, the mayor is the only one with the final decision-making power. This cannot be changed under Japan's local government system. Council members bring various issues to the mayor's attention and help them reach a consensus through consultation, but ultimately, only the mayor can put those ideas into practice.

Local government is like a "presidential system," with the mayor making all decisions and assuming all responsibility on behalf of the mayor. This is a unique position in the town. I thought that if I wanted to become a politician, this was the position I should aim for.

Mayor Sasaki's vision for the future of Hokuryu

Q. You said you were worried about the future of the town, but what specific issues do you see and how would you like to solve them?

The "seven pillars" I pledged in my campaign for mayor are the very foundation of regional revitalization. If these seven pledges are put into effect successfully, what will Hokuryu Town look like in 10 years? I've only been mayor for a year and a half, but I'm always imagining what it will look like in 10 years.

To create that future, I want all 1,600 townspeople, including not only town hall staff but also people from various organizations, children, and the elderly, to share their own aspirations for the next 10 years. It is my job to help shape those aspirations.

To give one specific example, starting October 1st of this year, we will be running two community bus routes as a town-run initiative. One will be in the direction of Fukagawa, and the other in the direction of Takikawa. This will support high school students commuting to school, and townspeople going to medical appointments and other aspects of daily life. Until now, Hokuryu Town has had no public transportation that can be used on a daily basis. This is a major disadvantage. It is difficult for a town this small to have its own bus routes, but we would like to continue to move forward with these concrete initiatives.

Q. If you had unlimited money, effort, time, and connections, what would you do as mayor?

If I could use everything I know about Hokuryu Town for unlimited amounts of money...well, I'd like to become the Prime Minister of Japan (laughs).

The reason I've invited you all to town this time is because I want you to change Hokuryu, even if just a little. If Hokuryu changes, Sorachi, the place we belong to, will change. If Sorachi changes, Hokkaido will change, and if Hokkaido changes, Japan will change. When I think about such grandiose goals, I can't help but think childish things like, I'd like to become Prime Minister.

Of course, it's impossible to achieve 100%, but that just shows how strong our desire is.

Q. So, if you had everything at your disposal as the mayor of Hokuryu, what would you like to try?

I would like to take on the challenge of finding ways to bring the town's population back to its peak of around 6,500 people.

During its heyday, the whole town was ambitious, vibrant, and united, and the whole town shone brightly. It was filled with a forward-looking spirit. It was a fun town back then. After that, the population continued to decline, the town gradually lost its appeal, and people began to leave. I think the town lost its vitality due to a variety of negative factors.

Hokuryu Town has a 133-year history, but now it's time to create the town's future history and future careers. To achieve this, we want to restore the population, a symbol of the town's vitality, to its former peak. If we have the methodology and financial resources to achieve this, I would love to see it happen. During my term, I would like to at least create the foundation for getting there.

We recognize that population decline is something we must face head-on and is unavoidable. In order to combat this, we will implement various measures, such as improving the town's appeal, encouraging relocation and settlement, and expanding the number of people connected to the town.

The town aims to create a connected population of 1,600 people by 2030. The town aims to create a town where each resident has a relationship with each person from outside the town, and where each resident is involved in town development, creating a town where all townspeople work together to build the town.

この関係人口1,600人の実現は、非常に難しいことですが、不可能だとは思ってません、やれると思っています。
Starting from scratch on April 1, 2025, I think various measures will become concrete. I don't think everything will be successful, and if we fail, we can just try again, and I think it's fine to keep trying.

Q. Since becoming mayor, what have you done to increase the value of the construction industry, and what are your plans for the future?

The construction industry's primary role is not just to build roads, rivers, bridges, etc., but also to be the first to respond when a disaster occurs and ensure the safety of residents.

When a disaster occurs, the fire department, the Self-Defense Forces, and various police forces all get involved. Once they reach a certain alert line, the order to "Go!" is given to the construction industry. Once the word "alert" is issued, the construction industry's role in responding to a disaster is to risk their lives by getting on heavy machinery and digging rivers and other structures or opening roads.

There are 21,000 construction companies in Hokkaido, but many of the 179 cities, towns, and villages do not have any construction companies. Through mergers and the establishment of branches, we aim to make the construction industry a "convenience store" so that every town has a construction company, just like a local convenience store, and we hope to increase the value of the construction industry and play a role in disaster response and ensuring local safety.

Q. Please tell us about your vision for the future of kindergartens in Hokuryu Town and your ideal vision for education.

We want to start teaching English conversation from the age of 1 or 2, so that by the time they graduate from junior high school, they can speak English like a native speaker. We do use translation machines, but we also want to look people in the eye and communicate directly, valuing heart-to-heart communication. As our town is small, we are currently reviewing our educational curriculum with the aim of becoming a "town where everyone studies abroad."

As local educational curricula will be recognized from the 2027 academic year, Hokuryu Town plans to establish a new school called "Hokuryu Studies," with an application to the Ministry of Education due in August 2026. They plan to establish three departments: an English Conversation Department, a Hokuryu Department, and a Challenge Department.

In the future, the town plans to implement a "Children's Challenge Support" program, whereby it will provide support for children's various challenges.

Our ideal education does not prioritize academic ability, sports, art, or sensibility, but instead aims to be one that respects the freedom and potential of children.

Q.Hokuryu Town's main tourist attraction is the sunflowers, but what do you want to appeal to new residents?

Measures to attract immigrants and measures to get them to live are different.

The sunflower cultivation began at the suggestion of an agricultural cooperative employee at the time, when the mothers of 250 farming households planted sunflowers as part of the "one household, one are" campaign, with the aim of promoting the sunflower landscape and producing healthy sunflower oil. Furthermore, as the scale of sunflower cultivation expanded with the cooperation of young people from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division, the number of visitors increased to 10,000 at 1 hectare, 50,000 at 5 hectares, and 100,000 at 10 hectares. Currently, over 200,000 people visit the 23 hectares. This sunflower tourism industry has gradually led to policies for relocation and settlement.

Hokuryu Town has 1,600 hectares of paddy fields, and all 120 farming households produce sunflower rice using less than 50% of pesticides. Hokuryu Town is the only town in Japan that is working to reduce pesticides on an entire town basis. Hokuryu Town is surrounded by rivers and mountains, so even if pesticides are used in neighboring towns, they cannot be carried over. Being isolated by rivers and mountains, this topography is also ideal for a town that produces sunflower rice, Japan's safest food. As an agricultural town with safe and secure food production, Hokuryu Town is a pillar of its relocation and settlement policies.

Hokuryu Town's Strengths and Investing in the Future

Q. When it comes to Hokuryu Town, there is an overwhelming weapon called "Himawari," but is there a "number two" pillar that comes after that?

The other pillar is "regional revitalization" itself. The projects you are all participating in today, and the various initiatives we will undertake over the next three years, will be another major pillar. I hope that you will all help us build this pillar together.

Q. You mentioned that there will be a shortage of childcare workers in the future. What kind of workers do you specifically want to secure, and how much financial resources do you need?

Of course, we will be hiring childcare workers, but we are especially looking for male childcare workers. Working at a nursery school involves a fair amount of physical labor, so it would be extremely helpful if you could take on that role. Both new graduates and mid-career workers are welcome.

Regarding financial resources, "hometown tax donations" will be a major key. Currently, more than 95% of donations are from the local specialty "Sunflower Rice," and around 400 million yen is collected from all over the country each year. If this could increase to 600 million, 700 million, or even 1 billion yen, financial resources would become even more abundant.

There are five categories for how hometown tax donations can be used, one of which is "for education, childcare, and child-rearing." We would like to secure sufficient financial resources by having more people choose Himawari Rice and increasing the number of people who donate "for children."

Q. What specific PR efforts will you make to increase hometown tax donations?

This time, we are collaborating with the Connecting Community Development Institute, which will provide support through accompanying the project. Consultants usually just hand over the materials and say, "Here you go," but these consultants are like companions in a marathon, always holding each other's arms and running alongside the project.

We are currently working with the Connecting Community Development Institute to come up with ways to make our rice more visible to the public, so that they will recognize its value and buy it. We are also asking for a system that will allow donors to not just buy rice, but to make it a "tax payment of the heart" that will connect their thoughts to the development of the town.

Future urban development and a message to young people

Q. From your administrative position as mayor, what role do you think the construction industry should play in future town development?

I would like to see the construction industry become more "sensible." Up until my generation, the image was of people tying their headbands on and saying, "Okay, let's do this!", but things will be different in the coming era.

For example, when developing buildings, roads, or rivers, it's okay to add some "color" to them. It's fine to have yellow roads. Even if you look into the law, there's nothing that says you can't paint national highways yellow (laughs). I think this town needs a construction industry that has that kind of "sense," "playfulness," or even a "childlike heart." I plan to talk about this with everyone in the industry, including my son.

Q. How would you like to develop connections like the Hokuryu Tokyo Conference that were born from your interactions with everyone?

I don't use the term "related population." I just want you all to maintain a relationship with Hokuryu Town. I've always been concerned about you all. I can't help but wonder where the 10 members from last year are, what they're doing, and whether they're doing well.

I would love to see a "Hokuryu Tokyo Conference" or a "Hokuryu Osaka Conference." This would not be a gathering of people from Hokuryu, but rather a gathering where everyone who has been involved in this event could come together again to talk about Hokuryu. I hope that these enjoyable relationships can continue.

Hokuryu Town's town planning aims for revitalization and sustainable development, with regional revitalization, population recovery, and educational reform as its pillars. Mayor Sasaki has set specific policies and numerical targets, and is tackling local issues with a multifaceted approach that includes expanding the town's residents and related population, strengthening the childcare and education systems, and increasing the value of the construction industry. We are filled with boundless love, gratitude, and prayer for Mayor Sasaki's heartfelt and sincere message, along with the wonderful discussions of the honest students.

More Photos

Click here for photos (57 photos) from Career Design Camp 2025 >>

sadist	Mega	t	W	t	f	sadist
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30