Jul 10 (Japan Times) - Haruka Kuwabara, at 31 currently the youngest mayor in Japan, was welcomed with flowers and applause by municipal employees in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, on Monday, her first day in office.
With the municipal assembly scheduled to start its next session July 18, the mother of two said, “I want to make a policy speech that will allow people to see potential for change.â€
Kuwabara, a Tsunan native and a graduate of the University of Tokyo graduate school, was elected mayor June 24. She won a seat in the municipal assembly in 2011.