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Profile of Soichiro Takashima

Born in 1974. After working as a newscaster at KBC (Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting), he was first elected Mayor of Fukuoka in 2010 and has won four elections in a row.

1. Joins KBC Kyushu Asahi BroadcastingAnchors news and info shows such as “Asadesu.”
2. Fun fact: he called pro wrestling, too.Did play-by-play and ring announcing for “World Pro Wrestling.”
3. Enters Kyushu University's Graduate School of LawTo study politics in greater depth.
4. Mayor of Fukuoka at 36.Wins his first election in an 8-candidate race, becoming the youngest mayor in Fukuoka's history.
5. Declares Fukuoka a “Startup City”Pledges to build an ecosystem where entrepreneurs can take on challenges and grow.
6. Among the first National Strategic Special ZonesFukuoka City is designated a “Global Startup and Job Creation Special Zone.”
7. On the cover of Forbes JAPANFukuoka draws attention in Japan and abroad as “the city that creates startups.”
8. Off to Davos.The first Japanese local government leader to attend, sharing Fukuoka's urban strategy on the world stage.
9. Wins a 4th term329,606 votes, 75.7% of the vote.
10. Writes the picture book “Little Duck's Dream.”Story and pictures by Soichiro Takashima
11. Fukuoka's longest-serving mayor.Four terms and 16 years leading Fukuoka since his first win in 2010.

Building a city that draws people who dare to try and gives rise to new value, starting in Fukuoka.

• Headshot of Soichiro Takashima
• Holding a mic on stage at “THE MAYOR OF FUKUOKA”
• Waving to runners at the start of a marathon
• Planting flowers in a flower bed
• Riding a horse in samurai armor
• Atop a kakiyama float at Hakata Gion Yamakasa
• Shaking hands with a wrestler at ringside
• Smiling with an open palm
• Firing the starting gun
• Soichiro Takashima in a blue jacket
• Standing on a lawn in a morning coat
• In a Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks jacket

1. Fukuoka is amazing! Mayor Takashima on reform and building an attractive city
2. [Fukuoka, Japan's strongest regional city] Being an announcer was his path into politics
3. [ReHacQuest: Osaka vs. Fukuoka] A second capital? A laid-back emergency livestream
4. “Change at city hall breeds resentment”: The management behind running ¥1 trillion-plus Fukuoka City
5. [Why Fukuoka succeeded] The art of producing a growing city
6. Fukuoka's mayor spills Hiroyuki & Yusuke Narita's secrets!?
7. Soichiro Takashima, Mayor of Fukuoka
8. [Ask Mayor Takashima] The reason Japan can't change is...? (Season 3, Ep. 24)
9. Changing Japan from the regions! The flat-rate tax cut caused chaos on the ground, and national policy keeps missing the mark [Part 2]
10. Was Shinji Ishimaru's choice right? What Antonio Inoki's “fighting spirit” means, and Mayor Takashima's ideal politician [Part 3]
11. [On the eve of a contemporary art revolution] The future of art from Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
12. “What can an ex-announcer do?” The mocked mayor who has dominated Fukuoka for 10+ years [Zundamon and Yukkuri explainer]
13. Kyushu Shigokyan: Discovering what makes living and working in Fukuoka great
14. Why isn't there a next Yusuke Narita? Why evidence matters, and the lack of “evangelists” for expert knowledge
15. [Fukuoka City] Fukuoka's jaw-dropping redevelopment! How did it achieve Japan's top growth rate?
16. Fukuoka's Mayor Takashima delivered a mizutaki hot pot from Torida.
17. Hoshino Resorts' Yoshiharu Hoshino, Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai, and University of Tokyo Professor Noriyuki Yanagawa on leadership and the power to explain
18. [Horiemon] The Fukuoka mayor's reforms left me speechless [Takafumi Horie clips]
19. [Shinji Ishimaru vs. Fukuoka's mayor] Releasing confidential documents!? What happens to democracy?
20. [Fukuoka's mayor vs. Shinji Ishimaru] Fukuoka as a second capital: the risk of a Nankai Trough quake or Mt. Fuji eruption hitting Tokyo and Osaka at once
21. [Shinji Ishimaru vs. Fukuoka's mayor] Why he won't run in November's election: the real reason [ReHacQ SP: Soichiro Takashima]
22. Can YouTuber Arai, with 900K subscribers, become a mayor? We asked Fukuoka's mayor...
23. [Yusuke Narita × Hiroyuki × a young, capable mayor] Changing Japan from local government
24. The morning after the Fukuoka mayoral election: Mayor Takashima on winning a 4th term [Asadesu.]
25. [Fukuoka is actually amazing] Ayaka Shintani and Mayor Takashima on Fukuoka's appeal and future
26. [Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima, up close] Why he decided not to run / The trap of power / Why are councils prone to corruption? / Challenges for the media / The second-capital plan and regional states / Aso's words / The cancer holding back Japan's growth / The key to regulatory reform / Why population and tax revenue grew

Soichiro Takashima's Mochi no Ron podcast

• Problem Solving in Fukuoka: How Leadership Changed the Face of a City (Amazon, external site)
• How to Change Japan Fastest, by Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima (Amazon, external site)
• Managing Fukuoka City (Amazon, external site)
• Little Duck's Dream (Amazon, external site)