Kenichi Yoshizumi

Japanese politician

Kenichi Yoshizumi

吉住 健一

Mayor of Shinjuku

Incumbent

Assumed office
November 2014; 10 years ago (2014-11)
Personal details
Born|  (1972-04-22) April 22, 1972 (age 52)
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Alma mater| Nihon University

Kenichi Yoshizumi (吉住 健一, Yoshizumi Ken'ichi) is a Japanese politician serving as the current mayor of Shinjuku, one of the special wards of Tokyo, since 2014.

## Biography

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Yoshizumi grew up in Shinjuku, attending Okubo Elementary School, Toyama Junior High School, and Hiroo Senior High School. He graduated from the law faculty of Nihon University in 1996, and began his political career as a secretary for Diet member Kaoru Yosano.[1]

Yoshizumi was elected to the Shinjuku municipal assembly in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. He was then elected to the Tokyo metropolitan assembly in 2009 and re-elected in 2013.[1] He became mayor of Shinjuku in November 2014.[2]

While Yoshizumi is currently not affiliated with a political party in his capacity as mayor, he has been supported by the Liberal Democratic Party, which he officially represented in the municipal and metropolitan assemblies. His LDP supporters include Miki Yamada, Keizo Takemi, Masaharu Nakagawa and Tamayo Marukawa.[3]

In 2015, Yoshizumi named Godzilla as the official "tourism ambassador" of Shinjuku in connection with the opening of the new Toho commercial complex in Kabukicho, which features a prominent Godzilla statue. Yoshizumi called the character "the pride of Japan."[4][5] In 2016, Yoshizumi presided over the introduction of public bicycle rental service in Shinjuku.[6]

## References

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1. ^ a b "新宿区長 吉住健一プロフィール". www.yoshizumi.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-04-04.
2. ^ "プロフィール：新宿区". www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-04-04.
3. ^ "新宿区長 吉住健一 公式ホームページ". www.yoshizumi.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-04-04.
4. ^ "Terrifying monster named Tokyo's new tourism ambassador". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
5. ^ "Godzilla recruited as tourism ambassador for Tokyo". The Guardian. 2015-04-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
6. ^ "Bicycle-rental service in Tokyo expanding to Shinjuku Ward：The Asahi Shimbun". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2017-04-04.

## External links

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* Official site