Tottori, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)–Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai said Wednesday that he will not run for re-election after his current fifth term expires in April 2027. The gubernatorial election of the western Japan prefecture is scheduled for April 11 next year as part of the country’s unified local elections. No one has yet announced a bid for the governorship. Hirai served as chairman of the National Governors’ Association for two years from September 2021, working on addressing the overconcentration of people and resources in Tokyo as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. At a press conference Wednesday, Hirai said that he thought it was “a good time” to step down, noting that Tottori is scheduled to host the Japan Games, a major national sporting event, in 2033. He said that his future plans were “still blank.” After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Hirai joined the Home Affairs Ministry, now the internal affairs ministry, in 1984. He was elected governor of Tottori for the first time in 2007, after serving as deputy governor. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
