In one of the final scenes of the documentary “Noto Democracy,” director and journalist Yukio Iokibe looks Koki Yoshimura, the mayor of Ishikawa Prefecture’s Anamizu, directly in the eyes.
Iokibe had just confronted the mayor about the celebratory money Yoshimura gifted a newly elected council member — a clear violation of the Public Offices Election Act, but a tradition quietly passed down among local politicians.
“As a local journalist, I trust and believe you will change these customs for the better,” he tells Yoshimura, who shifts in his seat but nods. The exchange is sharp but laced with hope.
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