Japan Press Weekly

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2008 November 12 - 18 [JCP]

JCP mayor reelected as Kunimi Town mayor

A Japanese Communist Party member won a second term as mayor of Kunimi Town, Fukushima Prefecture.

In the election held on November 16, Sato Tsutomu (61) of the JCP defeated Suzuki Shuichi, a 61-year-old former Fukushima City municipal worker backed by town assembly members calling for the merger of Kunimi Town with another municipaly to form a larger city.

After his election was confirmed, Sato said to his supporters, “Residents supported my effort to create an independent town administration.”

The reelected mayor expressed his determination to implement his election promises, including free medical care for children up to 9th grade and 16 free medical check-ups for pregnant women.

“My town administration will take care of residents and make use of local resources,” he said.

The local JCP published 18 issues of “Democratic Kunimi” introducing the mayor’s achievements and policies. A wide range of residents took part in the distribution of the paper to let voters know that Sato was repaying the town’s debt while improving social programs.

Sato received 3,532 votes while Suzuki got 3,337. The voter turnout was 79.72 percent.