Niiza City Mayor, Suguru Namiki

From trading company employee to kindergarten principal, now Mayor of Niiza! Opening the way to Niiza's future.

Masaru Namiki, Mayor of Niiza City

■ Profile
After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Keio University, he joined Toyota Tsusho Corporation, a Toyota Group company. He later joined the family business, Namiki Kindergarten, where he served as principal for 17 years. At the age of 38, he was first elected to the Niiza City Council and has been re-elected for five consecutive terms. In 2016, he became the mayor of Niiza City and is currently serving his third term. He is fully committed to managing the city's affairs in order to realize "Niiza, a prosperous city where 'plus' is created in people's lives, for years to come."

After graduating from Keio University, Mr. Suguru Namiki worked for Toyota Tsusho Corporation, served as a kindergarten principal and a city council member before becoming the mayor of Niiza City, Saitama Prefecture. With his flexible thinking and strong drive, he has promoted municipal reforms, such as achieving the top ranking in ICT education in Japan, strengthening childcare support measures, and developing a subway extension plan. We interviewed this mayor with a diverse background about his vision for education and childcare support and his message to young people.

■Strengthening education and childcare environments to become a "city of choice"

Niiza City is a vibrant municipality with a growing population and is gaining popularity among younger generations as a "livable city." As mayor, my greatest focus has been on improving public education and strengthening childcare support measures. I have set forth a vision for the future of Niiza as a "city that is easy to raise children in, has abundant greenery, and is highly convenient," and have vigorously promoted various policies to achieve this.
As concrete initiatives, we have worked to secure childcare workers by improving their working conditions and improved the number of children we can accommodate by establishing new after-school childcare facilities. Establishing after-school facilities on school grounds is not easy, but we have managed to do so in almost all schools while meeting national standards. Furthermore, we continue to maintain the "on-site cooking system" for school lunches, where meals are prepared at each school rather than using a central kitchen. Although this is costly, our top priority is providing warm and delicious meals to the children. In addition, we have been working early on to promote ICT education. Utilizing government subsidies and other resources, we have accelerated the installation of electronic blackboards in all classrooms and the introduction of one tablet device per student, and have also completed the installation of air conditioning in all elementary and junior high schools, including gymnasiums. These efforts have borne fruit, and we received the top ranking nationwide for both elementary and junior high schools in Nikkei BP's "National Municipal Public School Information Technology Ranking (2021)".

■ Strategic urban development utilizing the 4% of designated adjustment zones.

One of the defining characteristics of Niiza City is that nearly 4% of its area is designated as an "urbanization control area." While this area is rich in greenery and development is restricted, the city is actively promoting land readjustment projects to systematically and effectively utilize this vast land. For example, in areas such as the development around the north exit of Niiza Station and the Owada district along National Route 254 Bypass, the city has undertaken land readjustment projects to attract commercial facilities and large-scale logistics facilities. By strategically developing these control areas, which previously had difficulty generating tax revenue, the city has created a pleasant urban landscape while simultaneously generating new business sites. Furthermore, Niiza City is working on a plan to extend the "Urban Rapid Transit Line 12 (Toei Subway Oedo Line)" from Hikarigaoka Station in Tokyo to Higashi-Tokorozawa Station on the JR Musashino Line. The city is attracting a new station, "(tentative name) Niiza Chuo Station," within the city limits, and is also concretely proceeding with land readjustment around the station and a plan to install a smart interchange on the Kan-Etsu Expressway. The city will promote sustainable urban development that dramatically improves transportation convenience and generates employment and vibrancy.

■ "Kindness" that supports children and those on the front lines, and sustainable municipal management

My experience as a kindergarten principal has made me acutely aware that the most important things in education and child-rearing are "kindness from the adults involved and a positive environment." High-quality education can only be provided to children when teachers and childcare workers who interact with children on the front lines can work in a bright and happy environment. Rather than relying solely on idealistic notions, it is essential for the administration to provide solid economic and material support, such as improving working conditions and subsidies for facility improvements. On the other hand, sustainable municipal management that takes into account the declining birthrate and aging population will also be required in the future. Niiza City has 17 elementary schools and 6 junior high schools, and we intend to carefully and steadily proceed with the relocation of public facilities, such as facility renovations and consolidations, while carefully listening to the voices of the citizens who use them. We will maintain and pass on a high-quality educational environment to future generations while flexibly adapting to the changing times.

■Message to university students

The most important message I want to convey to today's university students is that you should cherish your own core values ​​and how you choose to live your own life. The single model of success that once enrolled you in a top company and worked your way up under lifetime employment has already collapsed. We live in a wonderful era where society as a whole is prosperous and diverse lifestyles and challenges are respected. There is absolutely no need to be bound by the expectations of your parents or those around you. Even if you change your career path or start your own business along the way, endless possibilities will open up from there. Moreover, we live in an age where we can instantly connect with information and people all over the world through the internet. Instead of confining yourself to the narrow world of Japan's vertically structured society, view the entire planet as your field and enjoy various challenges and encounters. I sincerely hope that you will trust your intuition and freely forge your own future with your own hands.

Student Newspaper Online, July 21, 2026 Interview with Natsune Koga, 1st year student at Keio University

Chiharu Yamada (2nd year, Information Management Innovation Professional University) / Natsune Koga (1st year, Keio University) / Reina Inomoto (1st year, Kyoto University of the Arts) / Hideya Tanaka (1st year, Nihon University)