Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada was elected the new head of the National Governors' Association on April 26, beating Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda by just three votes, 25-22. In his speech after the vote, Mr. Yamada said the NGA will play a leading role in rebuilding the devastated areas and the country itself following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
These disasters, and the subsequent accidents at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, hit Japan at a time when its population is rapidly graying and traditional bonds between people are weakening. Mr. Yamada has the important task of leading 46 other prefectural governors in helping the country overcome the consequences of the triple-disaster and other problems.
Mr. Yamada must set out to establish close cooperative ties between his association and the associations of municipal mayors and local assembly chairpersons in solving these problems.