Kazumoto Kanemaru, Mayor of Minami-Alps City

Transform geographical advantage into a strategy

Mayor of Minami-Alps City: Kazumoto Kanemaru　

■ Profile
Born in 24 in Ogasawara Town, Nakakoma District, Yamanashi Prefecture (present-day Minami-Alps City).
He graduated from Rikkyo University in 1974. He has served as president of the Junior Chamber International and other positions, and was first elected to the Minami-Alps City Council in 2004. He worked on the local economy and community development for three terms over 10 years, and became mayor of Minami-Alps City in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019 and 2023 and is currently serving his third term.

Mayor Kanemaru leads Minami-Alps City, which was established through a residents' initiative. We spoke with him about his strategy for overcoming three rejections of attracting Costco, his beliefs about fiscal reform, administrative challenges in the age of AI, and the appeal of Minami-Alps City. We also asked him about the forefront of urban development that leverages the city's geographical advantages and the "tools of thought" needed to survive in a rapidly changing society.

During my student days, I worked part-time at a newspaper company while diligently studying sociology in the Faculty of Sociology. In lectures, I learned theories from Max Weber and Karl Marx, and in the evenings, I would play mahjong, which was popular at the time, with my classmates. I spent fulfilling days packed with work, learning, and fun. I didn't really have a clear image of what the current position of "mayor" entailed, and since the retail industry was growing quite a bit at the time, I joined Seiyu Store (now Seiyu Co., Ltd.) as a new graduate.
About two years after I started my job, my mother, who ran a shoe store in my hometown, fell ill, so I quit my job and returned to my hometown to take over the business.
However, the shoe business is inherently subject to change with the times, so ultimately, I decided to close the business because I felt it was no longer relevant to the current era.
Then, while I was thinking about what kind of shop I should open next, I came across the opportunity to engage with the municipal government of Minami-Alps City.

■ The decision to run for office

After the city was established in 2003, I served three terms as a city council member with the support of those around me. At that time, the city was facing serious financial problems and was in a dire situation where it could easily go bankrupt.
Amidst these circumstances, I strongly urged the former mayor to make "administrative and fiscal reform" a campaign promise, and I supported him. However, in his second year, the situation changed dramatically. A plan was announced to construct a new city hall with a massive budget. Since I was opposed to the construction of the new city hall, I directly countered, "Didn't you promise administrative and fiscal reform? I cannot accept this plan."
Nevertheless, the plan did not stop. I decided that I had no choice but to do it myself, and I decided to run for mayor. Running for office on a platform of "opposition to the construction of the new city hall" is generally considered an unfavorable battle. Despite this, I was able to win the election thanks to the support of the citizens, and I am now serving my third term.

■ The attractions and initiatives of Minami-Alps City

I feel that the potential of this area has greatly expanded with the arrival of large commercial facilities. In particular, the opening of Costco, a major supermarket chain, has been much more successful than expected, with sales reaching approximately double the initial forecast. At first glance, this may seem like a small trading area, but there are about 2 million people living within a 700-hour drive radius. When we first opened, more than 8% of our customers were from within the prefecture, but thankfully, the number of customers from outside the prefecture has gradually increased, and now, on weekends, about half of our customers come from outside the prefecture.
The appeal of this region lies in its low incidence of natural disasters and rich natural environment. It has a low risk of flooding, relatively low land prices, and abundant water resources. Furthermore, in addition to the scenic views of Mount Fuji and the Yatsugatake Mountains, fruit cultivation thrives, taking advantage of the alluvial fan's characteristics, and the variety and quality of the fruit are exceptional. I believe it undoubtedly has strengths in terms of livability.
The lack of railway access was previously a challenge, but the development of the Chubu Trans-Japan Expressway and the Shin-Yamanashi Ring Road has improved transportation convenience, and in recent years, the number of people moving to the area has increased. Although the population is naturally declining, it has been slightly increasing since 4 due to "social increase," where people move in more than they move out.
Furthermore, efforts to attract businesses have progressed, creating approximately 1500 jobs in the last two to three years. With the opening of the Chuo Shinkansen (maglev train), access to the city center will improve dramatically. Combined with the low land prices, I strongly feel that even more people will be drawn to the area in the future.
In this context, I have focused particularly on supporting child-rearing and promoting the creation of a "child-friendly city." For example, we expanded the provision of free medical care from up to junior high school age to 18, and we have also made school lunches and childcare fees free, and are currently working to make school lunches free for children aged 3 to 6. In addition, we are working to reduce the burden on families by providing financial assistance when children enter elementary or junior high school.
As a result, the number of people actually moving here because of the support programs is increasing. Although we face the challenge of a declining population throughout the region, I feel that these efforts are leading to an influx of younger generations and are steadily yielding results.

■ How to progress with AI

The pace of technological advancement is now beyond our imagination. The capabilities of semiconductors are exponentially increasing: 1000 times in 4 years, 100 million times in 8 years, and 10 billion times in 12 years. That era is just around the corner. In a future where Level 5 fully autonomous driving becomes a reality and existing jobs are transformed, governments, too, must abandon what they have considered "normal" until now.
Our city has already begun using AI to create responses for council meetings and other purposes. Since council members are now using AI to formulate their questions, it's becoming increasingly likely that in the not-too-distant future, we'll see AIs debating with each other. This kind of technology will dramatically reduce the burden on staff who are overwhelmed with creating vast amounts of paperwork, and it will be a powerful tool for maintaining high-quality administration even as the workforce shrinks due to the declining birthrate and aging population.
However, reality is not so simple. A paradoxical situation is occurring where, despite promoting DX (Digital Transformation), the number of employees is somehow increasing. New tasks are constantly emerging, and even with the introduction of systems, it is not directly leading to organizational optimization. Even more pressing is the enormous expenditure required for system construction and maintenance. Furthermore, the city does not have professional staff with the same level of knowledge as system companies, so creating such an environment is a challenge.
There are limits to what a city can do on its own. That's why we need a system in place at the prefectural level, where experts are assembled to scrutinize the appropriate price and technology of the system. We need to be able to use technology wisely, rather than being controlled by it, and contribute to the well-being of our citizens. We are now at a major turning point in this regard.

■Message to university students

The four years of university are the most free and precious time of your life, so I strongly encourage you to seriously engage with your studies. Studying theories such as sociology will completely change how you see the world. Developing your own unique perspective will be a great asset that will support you in the future.

Student Newspaper Online, April 10, 2026 Interview with Chiharu Yamada, 2nd year student, Information Management Innovation Professional University

Chiharu Yamada, 2nd year, Professional University of Information Management and Innovation / Kotomi Miyama, 4th year, Dokkyo University / Reina Inomoto, 1st year, Kyoto University of the Arts