In his youth, Shinji Takahashi was a featherweight boxer. Today, working with his two younger brothers in a family legal practice based in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, he is a heavyweight lawyer and committed activist.
Takahashi is the head of a local and national campaign to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status for the Tomioka Silk Mill, one of Japan's earliest industrial complexes. As chairman of the Tomioka Silk Mill Supporters Society, a registered nonprofit organization, he has garnered both hardcore community support and the ear of local officials.
"The mill closed in 1987 and all 600 employees were deployed to factories in other parts of Japan," he said in his office before heading off to the mill to conduct a grand tour. "It's now 138 years old, as impressive today as it was back then. We're proud of its unique history, and want to preserve it for future generations."