26-year-old Ryosuke Takashima becomes Japan's youngest mayor

In Ashiya, Japan, voters have made national history by electing a 26-year-old and making him the youngest-ever mayor in the nation. With more than 46 per cent votes, Ryosuke Takashima defeated three rivals including the incumbent in the Ashiya mayoral election on April 23.

Following his win, Takashima said that his age doesn't matter, rather what he can achieve does.

"My youth means I have more energy to be more active than anyone else," he said.

In Japan, where according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union,most members of the nation's parliament are aged 50 to 70,Ryosuke Takashima's win at such a huge margin is a big deal.

A Harvard graduate, the newly elected mayor broke all previous records. Before him, as per the Japan Association of City Mayors, the youngest mayor was Kotaro Shishida,who back in 1994 was elected as the mayor of Musashimurayama in western Tokyo.

He has many achievements under his belt. As per Asahi, he studied environmental engineering at Harvard University and since 2016 has been the head of Ryugaku Fellowship - a non-profit organisation that helps students who plan on studying abroad.

Takashima's campaign in Ashiya city of Hyogo Prefecture was focused on providing more support for young families, free medical care for people under the age of 18, and better English education programmes.

As per CNN, he also campaigned for "green infrastructure planning, promising to create more public spaces and parks, as well as reforms in education, childcare and youth healthcare."

Speaking to the press, he said that he hoped "people will look at me and evaluate me not on my age but on the results. I can run because I am young. I want to make Ashiya the most desirable city in the world to continue living in."

(With inputs from agencies)

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