Hakodate Mayor Jun Oizumi, 60, said on the 10th that he will run for re-election in next spring's mayoral race, a vote set to test whether his fiscal repair program can be squared with the civic pride he says it is meant to restore.
Speaking at a city administration report meeting in Hakodate, Oizumi said he would "face the rebuilding of the city's finances head-on and work to restore pride and confidence in Hakodate," Kyodo News reported.
It is the first time Oizumi has declared his candidacy for the mayoral election. The race will be held when his current term expires next spring.
From city hall to the mayor's office
Oizumi is a native of Ebetsu, also in Hokkaido, and the older brother of the actor Masaharu Oizumi. After graduating from Waseda University's Faculty of Law, he joined the Hakodate city government.
He served in posts including director of the tourism department and director of the health and welfare department. He won his first term in the 2023 mayoral election with backing from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.