With gratitude to the "Former Mayor Yutaka Sano Retirement Memorial Service"! Former Mayor Sano is a memorable mayor and a mayor who will go down in history!

Monday, April 8, 2024

A ceremony to thank former Mayor Sano Yutaka for his hard work in office was held at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen from 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 6th.

Former Mayor Yutaka Sano's Retirement Celebration

Eighty people, including members of the supporters' association and other related parties, participated in the event and expressed their gratitude for the hard work of the great former Mayor, Yutaka Sano (73).

General MC: Mr. Ono Bin

Former Mayor Yutaka Sano and his wife enter

silent prayer

"I would like to take this opportunity to offer a moment of silence to all the supporters of the town's support group who supported former Mayor Yutaka Sano in the past but were unable to attend today," said Ono, the moderator.

silent prayer...

Greetings from the Supporters Association Chairman: Hitoshi Takebayashi

"It's a calm, spring-like day. The new fiscal year has begun, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone for coming in such large numbers despite their busy schedules.

For three terms and 12 years, you supported the Sano Town government with a spirit of comradeship and solidarity. During that time, you provided constant, heartwarming support and guidance. I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

Former Mayor Sano ran for 12 years with the support of everyone, advocating for "town development led by townspeople." I would like to express my gratitude many times. Thank you very much.

Mayor Sano has had countless accomplishments over the past 12 years in office, but I cannot say much about them here.

Some of the major initiatives he has implemented include the opening of Wa Nursery School, the opening of Hokuryu Town's commercial revitalization facility Kokowa, the free provision of school lunches and childcare fees, and the establishment of a license prepayment system. And above all, Mayor Sano, together with the townspeople and farmers, was awarded the Japan Agriculture Award Grand Prize.

In his third term, he was appointed vice-chairman of the Hokkaido Town and Village Association and chairman of the Hokkaido Sorachi Town and Village Association, and was particularly active in the field of primary industries, serving as a director of the Hokkaido Agricultural Corporation, an officer of the Hokkaido Agricultural Council, an officer of the Mizudori Network Hokkaido, and chairman of the Hokkaido Water Source Forest Construction Council.

A neighboring town even asked him, "Could you please give one of your agricultural-related positions to the position of mayor of our town?" This shows how many positions he held. He was active in the primary industry for six terms, eight years.

I would like to express my gratitude and praise for your achievements to date. Mayor Sano has worked tirelessly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but I hope that he will take some time to rest. I hope that he will continue to watch over the people of Hokuryu.

As the Sano Supporters' Association, we would like to conclude our mission with today's event.

Thank you very much for your hard work, Mr. Sano.

Thank you very much to everyone for your support of Mayor Sano. I would like to express my gratitude again and again, and this will be my final words as chairman of the support group.
Thank you everyone,” said Takebayashi Hitoshi.

Guest speech: Town Council Chairman, Shoichi Nakamura

"As we enter the new fiscal year, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for taking the time despite your busy schedules to attend the 'Thank You Party for Former Mayor Sano's Hard Work on His Retirement' and for the large number of people who attended.

Normally, Mayor Sasaki would be the one to give the greetings, but he is currently on a business trip to Sapporo and is therefore unable to attend, so we ask for your understanding.

Twelve years ago, in the election for mayor and deputy mayor, I was the chairman of the election management committee at the time, so I couldn't vote, but I supported Mr. Sano. In the end, Mr. Sano was elected by a margin of about 230 votes, 960 to 730.

Before becoming mayor, Mr. Sano served as deputy mayor and town employee for 54 years. He has continued to carry out his public duties throughout the era of the construction of the new town hall.

The 1970s was the era of the Youth Association, and at that time I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Sano and consult with him on matters related to the Board of Education's social education system.

In the social education systems of neighboring towns (Horokanai, Numata, Chishibetsu), people who were connected through the Youth Group have gone on to become leaders of their respective towns. Among them, I am grateful that Mayor Sano served in that position for three terms, a total of 12 years.

Mayor Susumu Yamamoto of Higashikagura Town, with whom I have a close relationship, served as mayor at the same time as Mayor Sano, and whenever I meet him he always asks me, "How is Mayor Sano doing?" When I visited him in October last year, he seemed very sad and said, "I see you're retiring, Mr. Sano."

The mayor had a wide range of connections with many people.

From now on, you will be able to join and participate in organizations, volunteer activities, longevity associations, and other activities that you were not able to participate in due to your position as mayor, so I hope that you will be active in various ways. It is said that the average lifespan is 80 years, but there are people who are still working hard even in their mid-90s, so I hope that you will continue to work hard in various areas with energy.

I also believe that your wife has been a great supporter, helping you through all the hardships you have faced. I hope you will enjoy your life to the fullest.

Thank you to all the supporters for the past 12 long years.

We look forward to seeing more of Mr. Sano's success in the future.

"We have been blessed with good weather this year, and I hope that everyone who participated will be able to produce good produce and stay healthy. Thank you for coming today," said Nakamura Shoichi.

Presenting a bouquet

A beautiful bouquet was presented to Yutaka and Tomoko Sano.

Greetings from former Mayor Yutaka Sano

"As we enter a new fiscal year, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for taking the time to participate in this event, even though you are busy with spring farm work and other activities.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the Takebayashi Support Group Chairman and all the other officers who planned today's event.

It's been cold since the start of March, so I was worried that the snow wasn't melting, but the temperature has risen again today and is expected to rise sharply from tomorrow to 16-17°C, so there are concerns about snow melting and disasters. I feel like spring has finally arrived.

I am very grateful to have just received such generous greetings from Chairman Takebayashi and Chairman Nakamura.

On Wednesday, February 21st, I ended my 54 years as a public servant and my 12 years as mayor of Hokuryu Town over three terms.

Looking back, I was appointed mayor of Hokuryu in February 2012 with the support of the townspeople and many others. Although my contributions are small, I have worked hard to "build a town where the town's residents play a key role," with the aim of making Hokuryu a prosperous town.

We have carried out the construction of the Minoritch Hokuryu agricultural and livestock direct sales store, the Kokowa commercial revitalization facility, and the Wa Nursery School, as well as large-scale renovations of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen, and renovations and earthquake-proofing work on various facilities.

In terms of soft business, we have worked to enhance projects such as sunflower oil recycling, various child-rearing support programs, and immigration and settlement policies.

Furthermore, with the support of everyone in the agricultural, commercial, industrial and tourism industries, we have worked hard to promote the development of Hokuryu Town.

In particular, in the area of agricultural promotion, we were recognized for delivering safe, secure, and delicious sunflower rice to consumers, and were awarded the Japan Agriculture Award Grand Prize.

The Himawari Soba Producers Association has received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award for National Excellent Soba Production.

Kurosengoku Business Cooperative was selected as an excellent example of "Discover the Treasures of Rural Areas" and the award was presented to then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his official residence.

In February of last year, the town's Ichiban Shibori sunflower oil was certified as a "Northern High-Grade Food 2023," and in the fall, the town's pure rice sake "Ryujin," made from Suisei rice grown in Hokuryu Town, won the grand prize at the "Hokkaido Rice Sake Awards 2023."

Regarding hometown tax donations, we have received more than 300 million yen in donations from all over the country for the ninth consecutive year, and last year we received 440 million yen in donations.

Hokuryu Town is a town that has been highly praised and attracts attention from all over the country as a true agricultural town.

As for my campaign promise to be a top salesperson, I visited users in eastern Hokkaido, including Betsukai, Nakashibetsu, Hamatonbetsu, and Otofuke, together with Hirokuni Kitakiyo, former representative of the Hokuryu district of JA Kitasorachi. I also traveled to Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, and Taiwan to promote Hokuryu sunflower rice.

From the start of my first term, Kitakiyo-san has been extremely understanding and has always said to me, "I'm going to be mayor!" Thank you so much.

Furthermore, Terauchi-san, who was appointed as a Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team member, continues to serve as a village supporter, marking his 15th year this year. He disseminates information about Hokuryu Town's treasure hunts, the smiles of the townspeople, the sunflower village, and sunflower rice to the whole of Japan and overseas through the "Hokuryu Town Portal" website. I believe that my reputation as mayor cannot be discussed without Terauchi-san's support.

If you ask me about my achievements as Mayor, I would say that I have served for a total of 20 years, including two terms (8 years as Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor) and three terms (12 years as Mayor). I attended over 160 council meetings, including four regular sessions per year and special sessions, without ever missing a single one due to ill health, which is what I am most proud of.

Above all, I am very pleased that in agriculture, our core industry, we have been blessed with good weather every year during my 12 years as mayor, resulting in bountiful harvests.

The environment surrounding this small town is extremely difficult. We are facing issues such as a declining population, problems securing new workers, and plans to relocate public facilities. Fortunately, the new mayor has made this a campaign promise, so I hope that all the town officials will join us in working to solve these problems.

Over the past four years, I have served as vice chairman of the Hokkaido Town and Village Association and chairman of the Sorachi Town and Village Association, and have been away from Hokuryu Town on many occasions, so I would like to apologize to all the residents of the town.

I would like to express my gratitude to my supporters and the townspeople for their warm support, and I would like to express my sincere thanks for allowing me to fulfill my duties.

As a resident of Hokuryu Town, I would like to continue to do my part to contribute to the development of the town, so I would appreciate your continued support.

"Thank you very much for all your support over the years," said Yutaka Sano.

Toast: First Supporters' Chairman, Mr. Moriaki Tanaka

"Mayor Sano has worked hard over the past 12 long years. I would like to express my gratitude to the supporters' association and the many townspeople who have supported him.

Furthermore, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mrs. Tomoko, who has been supporting me tirelessly for the past 12 years, and who has given me the greatest hardship.

Cheers to everyone, with gratitude!"

social gathering

We enjoyed delicious food, exchanged drinks, and engaged in lively conversation in a friendly atmosphere.

Closing remarks: Mr. Ryoji Kikura, Honorary Citizen of Hokuryu Town

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the chairman and board members of the Bamboo Forest Support Group for organizing this event. Thank you very much.

On the 22nd of last month, I visited Makoto Co., Ltd. in Tokyo. We have been working together since the severe cold weather in 1993. This boxed lunch and side dish company is trusted by many people for its manufacturing methods that do not use additives or flash-freeze, and 80% of the rice they use is from Hokuryu Town.

Every time we met, our president, Mineko Yamazaki, would say to me, "Mr. Kikura, you've chosen a good mayor."

This time, he was unable to meet with me due to poor health. President Yamazaki said, "Mr. Kikura, in business, it's all about meeting producers and whether or not you can trust me."

Mayor Sano always visits Makoto Co., Ltd. whenever he travels to Tokyo. President Yamazaki has stated clearly that "there is no other mayor with such sincerity."

Many people ask me, "What do you think of the mayor?" I answer, "He is a trustworthy mayor."

The person I respect most who is still alive is Mr. Moriaki Tanaka. There are many people I respect who are no longer alive.

・The person I can trust is former Mayor Sano
・The person I respect is Tanaka Moriaki

It is wonderful that Mr. Sano has made such an effort to convey to so many people the way of life of the townspeople, carrying with him the blood, sweat, and tears that went into them.

Mr. Sano was able to work to his heart's content thanks to the support of Mr. Tanaka, the chairman of the support group, and Mr. Takebayashi, the second chairman of the support group.

There are still many obstacles in Hokuryu Town, and I hope that Mr. Sano will be able to make use of what he has accumulated in his life going forward.

I hope you will have many conversations with the townspeople, children, young people, adults, and elderly people that you have not been able to interact with because you have been busy.

I want us to live together.

Mr. Sano is a memorable mayor and a mayor who will go down in history.

I am truly happy to have met Mayor Sano. I hope to continue to look up to him and feel the joy of living in Hokuryu.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Sano and his wife!" said Ryoji Kikura with great enthusiasm.

The sanbonjime hand-clapping song at the banquet!!!

・"Yoo, papapan papapan papapanpan" x 3

Former Mayor Sano and his wife exit

The Sano couple left the stage with a bouquet of flowers in hand to thunderous applause from the audience.

With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we acknowledge the great achievements of former Mayor Sano Yutaka, who dedicated his life to public service in Hokuryu Town for 54 years, including 34 years as a town hall employee, two terms as deputy mayor for eight years, and three terms as mayor for 12 years, all of which he worked tirelessly and diligently over a long period of time.

thank you very much!!!

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To express our gratitude to the "Retirement Mayor Yutaka Sano's hard work association!", please see the photos (45 photos) here >>

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