November 15, 2011
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2011 November 9 - 15 [ELECTION]
JCP mayor reelected in Nagano’s Minamimaki Village |
“The village people apparently appreciated my four-year leadership as mayor. They wanted me to continue my administration of clean politics without corruption,” Kikuchi said in a victory speech.
Kikuchi promised that in his second term he will put all his energy to achieve his “five-point grand plan” which includes providing free medical care for people aged 18 and younger, further improving the social welfare system, building public housing for young people, and promoting agriculture as well as tourism.
The election battle was fierce as Kikuchi’s rival candidate, Takamizawa Takefumi, assigned the former mayor as his campaign manager. They created campaign groups in every settlement in the village to put pressure on various kinds of local bodies and individuals to support Takamizawa.
Kikuchi received 1,256 votes, while Takamizawa gained 952. Voter turnout stood at 85.51 percent.
Many young villagers joined Kukuchi’s campaign. They made up teams and went around the village, handing out fliers and putting up posters. A 25-year-old farmer producing lettuce and Chinese cabbage said, “Mayor Kikuchi’s efforts to improve the social welfare system helped us a lot. I had a baby this year and the village’s welfare program that provides 150,000 yen for prenatal checkups was a real help.”
Kikuchi has promoted programs to support sustainable agriculture, which has been welcomed by many villagers. In the sustainable agriculture program, cattle manure amounting up to seven tons a year from livestock farmers in the village is turned into quality compost. The compost is then used for highland vegetables, a specialty product of this region.
Of the ten JCP municipal heads around the country, three are in Nagano Prefecture: Kikuchi in Minamimaki Town; Tanaka Katsumi in Kiso Town; and Moteki Yuji in Miyota Town.
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