Mr. Yoshitaka Asai was elected mayor of Toyohashi, Aichi for the first time.　

　The election for mayor of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, was voted in on August 8, and Mr. Yutaka Asai, 58, an independent new face, was elected for the first time, defeating Koichi Ehara, 66, an independent incumbent who was aiming for four elections. The number of voters on the day was 29,7830. Voter turnout was 43.14 percent (29.82 percent last time).

Mr. Asai, who resigned from the prefectural assembly in the middle of his fourth term, called for support for child-rearing support, measures to reduce the population, and measures against the new coronavirus, including free school lunch for elementary schools, while criticizing Mr. Ehara, who set out the "New Age of Toyohashi" and criticized the incumbent who was aiming for four elections in the election 12 years ago, and the city administration. It was a fierce election campaign, but with the support of support organizations such as supporters' associations and labor unions, as well as the support of Mr. Yoshiro Kamino, president of the Toyohashi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he gained support from voters who demanded "change" because of the population decline and the sense of blockage of the corona.

Mr. Ehara, a native of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, emphasized the achievements of three fiscal years and 12 years, including the improvement of social capital such as roads and ports, which he is good at, as well as child-rearing support and enhancement of the educational environment. In addition to measures against corona to achieve both infection prevention and business support, he appealed for "promoting the development of a town of self-reliance, challenge, and symbiosis," and held organizational elections with the support of recommended companies and organizations, including the Liberal Democratic Party, agricultural cooperatives, and civil engineering and construction companies, but did not change the criticism of the multi-election.

Mr. Suzuki appealed for "the viewpoint of mothers and young people to be reflected in the city government" and set out free school lunches and child-rearing benefits, but fell short.

Since October, there have been a series of presidential elections in Aichi Prefecture in which incumbents are defeated. In the Okazaki mayoral election, a new face with a pledge of "return of 50,000 yen per person" blocked the incumbent's third election. In the Toyoyama town mayor election, the incumbent who was aiming for re-election finished in the second place.

Source: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASNC900P5NC7OBJB002.html