is the former mayor of Yokohama, Kanagawa in Japan. A graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University, he served at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management before working in the House of Councillors in the Diet.
He was first elected mayor of Yokohama in April 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) for three terms since July 1993. He was re-elected in 2006.
He has been compared to Carlos Ghosn, the visionary CEO of Nissan, whose Revival Plan he emulated and enticed the corporation to relocate to the city with http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/12/news/mayor8.php.
He is longlisted for the 2008 World Mayor award.[1]
Political career