Every time I try to read or write about local government in Japan I get so easily distra— say, is that paint drying over there? You see the problem?!

However, dull as it sounds, the subject not only deserves more attention but also looks likely to get more interesting thanks to politicians such as Fusaho Izumi, mayor of Akashi city in Hyogo Prefecture. Since taking office in 2011 he has attracted national attention for hiring lawyers and implementing child-centric policies. Radical stuff (for Japan).

A lawyer himself, Izumi grew up in a family of fishermen, then went from Tokyo University student radical to director at NHK to parliamentarian to his current post. His two years in the Diet taught him that change at the national level was difficult — perhaps impossible when constrained by party politics — and so, after returning to his hometown to practice law, he ran for mayor as an independent, winning by a mere 69 votes.