SHIRAKO, Chiba Prefecture--The longtime incumbent mayor of the town of Shirako faced an unfamiliar task this summer: competing for his job.

Kazuo Hayashi, 73, who has been mayor here for 28 years, had been unopposed for seven successive election cycles--including the first time he ever ran for mayor.

But this past mayoral election, the first held in Shirako in 36 years, was his very first competitive race. And it turned out to be a lot harder than Hayashi, who had become a fixture in the community of roughly 11,000 people, had anticipated.

On the night of the election, June 6, Hayashi addressed news reporters in front of his campaign headquarters in a resigned tone.

“This defeat means the achievements I have accumulated for 28 years are not appreciated,” he said. “I have nothing to talk about. The only thing I can say is that I feel elections are dreadful.”

Kazuyoshi Ishii, 70, previously a town assembly member, had narrowly beaten Hayashi in a nail-biter of a race.

Ishii won 3,272 votes while Hayashi netted 3,249 ballots. Just 23 votes tilted the balance toward political change, driving Hayashi out of office before his eighth term.

‘WE FELT SAFE’

Hayashi has been around the block in local politics. He debuted as an assemblyman at age 28 and became mayor at 45. He served as chairman of the Chiba Association of Towns and Villages, and currently heads the Chiba Prefectural Federation of Land Improvement Association.

One source said Hayashi exerted “influence over not only Shirako town but also the surrounding Chosei region.”

The prefectural government budgeted no less than 15.9 billion yen ($145 million) for land development projects in the last fiscal year, making Hayashi a significant figure for public works contractors.

He took full advantage of his authority as the incumbent mayor in the race, and more than 300 people, including lawmakers and prefectural assembly members, came to a ceremony to kick off his campaign.

Hayashi won the backing of many politicians from the Diet, as well as from the prefectural and town assemblies.

During the campaign, he emphasized his past accomplishments and delivered speeches at six locations a day in the lead-up to the vote, with up to 100 people appearing at each site.

Hayashi appeared to be overwhelming his opponent.

“We felt safe because so many people gathered for us,” said a town assembly member who supported Hayashi.

Despite his power and influence, his name recognition, and the lengthy list of political endorsements he racked up, he lost to a first-time mayoral candidate.

“I was so conceited that I believed I would never lose, and this very thought is the largest reason for my defeat,” Hayashi explained.

But a few other key factors were at play, such as a growing appetite for change among the public and a surprisingly competitive opponent who got a notable bump in support thanks to partisans of a certain political party.

THE ‘ONLY POSSIBLE’ CONTENDER

Some 50 individuals rallied in front of Ishii’s campaign office following his victory in the election. Ishii summed up his path to victory like this: “I spent about a year visiting all my supporters in town three times each, so that our campaign would expand even without sufficient resources or a well-organized support body.”

In the run-up to the vote, Ishii strongly criticized Hayashi for holding onto the mayoral post for so many years and called for “administrative reform.”

Ishii’s agenda included city planning revisions, elementary school reorganization and support for small and midsize local businesses. His policy platform provided a sharp contrast to Hayashi.

For the last 28 years, organizers had sought out other candidates to take on Hayashi. But it was difficult for them to seriously challenge the incumbent mayor, who has broad connections in the municipality.

A source approving of Ishii said the 70-year-old politician was the best choice.

“Although a much younger candidate might have been better, it was only possible for veteran Ishii to overcome both tangible and intangible pressures in order to run in the election,” the source said.

Ishii also received a boost from Komeito supporters. His camp estimates nearly 1,000 ballots were cast thanks to Komeito.

The only town assembly member who sided with Ishii hails from that party, although when asked about the connection between his affiliation and his support for Ishii, the assembly member stated, “I did not take action as part of a party.”

Asked about being the first new mayor in nearly three decades, Ishii said he first wants to “improve how the town office reception desk deals with citizens.” He said that as a former bank executive, he has long been concerned about this.

The town assembly byelection was held on the same day, and the results underlined the intense, yet evenly matched rivalry that emerged in the election between the two camps.

A former assembly member from the Hayashi side and a political newcomer supported by Ishii’s camp were only one ballot apart in their vote totals, at 3,197 to 3,196.

Ishii was inaugurated as mayor on June 21.