Kazuyuki Tsuji, the 76-year-old mayor of a town with a population of around 1,000 in Yamanashi Prefecture secured a 10th term without a vote Tuesday.
The mayor of Hayakawa remains the longest-serving municipal chief in Japan, followed by Koichiro Terashima, the 72-year-old mayor of Otobe, Hokkaido, who is serving his ninth four-year term.
Tsuji first became mayor in 1980. He has been chosen without a vote eight times, including this time. Hayakawa is Japan's smallest town in terms of population.