[Japanese Side] Harvard Graduate '26-Year-Old Eomchinah' Elected Mayor Sparks Attention... Foreign Media Also Surprised

1997-born Takashima Ryosuke
Foreign media also report "Conservative Japanese political upheaval occurs"

Recently, Japan concluded its unified local elections. There were quite a few surprises, including a controversial influencer who worked at a Ginza club and a 20-something YouTuber winning seats as city councilors. Amidst this, a 26-year-old became the youngest mayor in history, drawing significant attention. This young politician, a Harvard graduate with no political base, succeeded in winning his first election outright. International media such as CNN have also focused on the emergence of this young political figure. Today, we share the story of the youngest mayor, Takashima Ryosuke.

Born in 1997, Takashima ran as an independent candidate and was elected mayor of Ashiya City in Hyogo Prefecture on the 23rd. The incumbent mayor, Ito Mai, also ran in the election, but Takashima easily surpassed her with 19,779 votes compared to Ito’s 11,981 votes. With this, Takashima earned the title of the youngest mayor in history. Previously, the youngest mayor was Shishida Kotaro, who was elected mayor of Musashimurayama City in Tokyo at the age of 27 in 1994.

Takashima Ryosuke campaigning on the street. (Photo by Takashima Ryosuke)

Takashima attracted even more attention as a so-called "model child." He graduated from Nada Junior and Senior High School in Kobe, known for its rigorous academics. It is a science-focused school similar to Korea’s science high schools and is famous for sending the most students to medical schools in Japan. He was accepted to both the University of Tokyo and Harvard and chose to attend Harvard. This is comparable to graduating from a specialized middle and high school in Korea and gaining simultaneous admission to Seoul National University and Harvard’s engineering school. During high school, he served as student council president and began to take an interest in local politics.

It seems that Takashima’s elite educational background matched well with the characteristics of his electoral district. Ashiya City in Hyogo Prefecture is actually one of Japan’s representative affluent areas. It is known for its upscale residential neighborhoods and has even appeared as the setting in famous novels.

After graduating from Harvard’s engineering school, he served as chairman of a nonprofit organization that provides Japanese students with opportunities to study abroad. He reportedly expressed his intention to run for mayor last summer. Fumihiro Kanai, the secretary-general who worked with him at the same organization, advised him against entering politics, saying, “Getting a job at a company and gaining work experience is also an option,” but Takashima’s determination was firm. After that, he gradually prepared by studying policies and listening to citizens’ voices through social media (SNS).

Takashima Ryosuke giving a speech. (Photo by Takashima Ryosuke Official Website)

For his mayoral campaign, Takashima proposed a “living together” policy. He pledged to create a town where seniors, current residents, and future generations live together by introducing sleep screenings for the elderly, providing free medical care up to age 18 regardless of income, and realizing learning tailored to students’ understanding and individuality. He also promised to strengthen local disaster prevention plans, considering Japan’s sensitivity to natural disasters such as earthquakes.

In fact, recognition is as important as policies in elections. Takashima decided to target SNS to appeal to young sensibilities. He posted videos unrelated to politics on platforms like TikTok and Twitter to quickly build recognition. On TikTok, he posted a video answering the question, “Which is harder to get into, the University of Tokyo or Harvard?” by saying, “They are different types. The University of Tokyo only requires good exam scores, but Harvard requires you to appeal by including what activities you did in high school.” This quickly gained him recognition. Among his popular videos, some, such as “A Harvard graduate tries Google’s entrance exam,” have over one million views. When he officially started campaigning, he leveraged this recognition by posting speech videos and enjoyed a promotional boost.

A photo posted on social media (SNS) showing Takashima Ryosuke participating in a street tree planting activity. (Photo by Takashima Ryosuke Instagram)

Foreign media also paid attention to his entry. CNN reported, “Most Japanese Diet members are between 50 and 70 years old, 75% are male, and the atmosphere is conservative,” adding, “Takashima’s supporters celebrated this as a welcome change in Japan, which is run by conservative elderly people.” In fact, it is not easy for young politicians to enter Japanese politics unless they inherit a district from a political family, so his achievement of doing so as an independent without party support was highly praised.

Takashima expressed his gratitude upon election, saying, “Over the next four years, I will do my best to promote city administration while listening to your voices,” and added, “Even when you think, ‘Takashima, this isn’t right,’ please be sure to raise your voice. I pledge to make Ashiya City the most wonderful city in the world.” It remains to be seen whether the political newcomer Mayor Takashima can implement policies that meet everyone’s expectations and break the prejudices of Japan’s conservative political world.