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Ichirō Matsui
Ichirō Matsui
松井一郎
	Matsui in 2022
Mayor of Osaka
	In office; 8 April 2019 – 6 April 2023
Preceded by	Hirofumi Yoshimura
Succeeded by	Hideyuki Yokoyama
Leader of the Nippon Ishin no Kai
	In office; 12 December 2015 – 27 August 2022
Preceded by	Tōru Hashimoto
Succeeded by	Nobuyuki Baba
Governor of Osaka Prefecture
	In office; 27 November 2011 – 21 March 2019
Preceded by	Tōru Hashimoto
Succeeded by	Hirofumi Yoshimura
Member of Osaka Prefectural Assembly
	In office; 30 April 2003 – 10 November 2011
Personal details
Born	31 January 1964 (age 60); Yao, Osaka, Japan
Political party	Nippon Ishin no Kai (National); Osaka Restoration Association (Local)
Other political; affiliations	LDP (until 2010); JRP (2012–2014); JIP (2014–2015)
Alma mater	Fukuoka Institute of Technology
Website	Official website

Ichirō Matsui (松井一郎, Matsui Ichirō, born 31 January 1964) is a Japanese businessman and politician who is the former mayor of Osaka, leader of the Osaka Restoration Association (ORA) and Nippon Ishin no Kai alongside Nobuyuki Baba.

Early life

Matsui attended public elementary and middle schools in Yao, Osaka, and moved to Fukuoka for high school.^[1] After he graduated from Fukuoka Institute of Technology in March 1986, he worked for Kinden, a construction company affiliated with the Kansai Electric Power Company,^[2] and Daitu, a privately-held logistics and waste management company.^[1]

Political career

Matsui entered politics in April 2003 when he was elected to the Osaka Prefectural Assembly, serving three consecutive terms.^[3] He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party until 2010, and served in several regional party leadership positions.^[1]

Osaka Restoration Association and Japan Restoration Association

In April 2010 Matsui became the first secretary general of the regional Osaka Restoration Association. In September 2012 he also became the founding secretary-general of the new national party, the Japan Restoration Association.^[4]

Governor of Osaka

After Tōru Hashimoto decided to step down as governor of Osaka prefecture in order to run as mayor of Osaka city in an effort to advance his plans of merging the two entities, Matsui ran for the governor position to replace him. Matsui was elected to the post in the November 2011 election.^[5]

In June 2012, Kyozo Isohi, a homeless and unemployed man recently released from jail, stabbed two passersby to death in Shinsaibashi with a kitchen knife. Isohi told police that "he was frustrated at having no home and no job prospects, and that he didn't want to live anymore".^[6] Matsui made a controversial remark during a press conference, stating the attacker should have just killed himself instead of harming others.^[7]^[8]

Matsui was re-elected to a second term in the Osaka "double election" of November 2015, scoring an overwhelming victory over his challengers.^[9]

Mayor of Osaka

In 2019 Osaka mayoral election, Matsui defeated his opponent, Akira Yanagimoto, and was elected 21st Mayor of Osaka.^[10] This is the second person who has experience as governor of Osaka Prefecture to become the mayor of Osaka, after Toru Hashimoto. In addition, it is the first time since Kunio Hiramatsu that a person who has worked in a private company has been appointed Mayor of Osaka. Matsui has announced his planned retirement from politics in April 2023.^[11]

Personal life

Matsui is married with one son and one daughter.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "プロフィール | 大阪府知事松井一郎". www.gogo-ichiro.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-10-17.
^ Kinden Corporation History Archived 2019-05-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2 October 2012
^ Think Global Think HK Mr Ichiro Matsui. Retrieved on 2 October 2012
^ Daily Yomiuri Nippon Ishin no Kai officially launched Archived 2012-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. Published 30 September 2012.
^ Asahi Shimbun Reform candidates sweep double elections in Osaka Archived 2011-11-28 at the Wayback Machine. Published 27 November 2011. Retrieved on 2 October 2012
^ Japan Today Stabbing suspect should have killed himself, Osaka governor says Archived 2013-02-08 at archive.today. 12 June 2012. Retrieved on 3 October 2012.
^ Japan Daily Press [1]. Published 12 June 2012. Retrieved on 3 October 2012.
^ Kansai Scene In remembrance. Published July 2012. Retrieved on 3 October 2012.
^ Ueda, Michio (2015-12-06). "Osaka Elections and the Japanese National Security Debate". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
^ "大阪ダブル選、維新完勝松井氏「ぶれずに公約を守ってきた評価だ」". デジタル毎日 (in Japanese). 毎日新聞社. 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
^ Yoda, Tsubasa (2022-03-19). "Japan's Ishin party seeks to shake up status quo in July election". Nikkei Asia.

External links

Official website

Political offices
Preceded by Tōru Hashimoto	Governor of Osaka Prefecture November 2011 – March 2019	Succeeded by Hirofumi Yoshimura
Preceded by Hirofumi Yoshimura	Mayor of Osaka City March 2019 - April 2023	Succeeded by Hideyuki Yokoyama