Former Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa, 43, has been reelected after resigning over controversial hotel visits with a married municipal official. She defeated four rivals in the vote for the Gunma Prefecture capital, with turnout rising from the previous election. Ogawa apologized during the campaign while pledging to transform the city.
On January 13, 2026, Akira Ogawa, the former mayor of Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture, won reelection in a vote triggered by her resignation over a scandal. A September media report revealed that Ogawa, then 43, had visited hotels multiple times—at least 10—with a married male subordinate, who later left city employment. She apologized for her thoughtless actions but denied any sexual relationship.
Initially resisting calls to step down, Ogawa resigned in November after seven city assembly factions moved for a no-confidence vote. In the election, she defeated four opponents, including lawyer Akira Maruyama, 40, by about 10,000 votes, securing 62,893 in total.
Voter turnout reached 47.32%, up 7.93 points from 39.39% in the February 2024 election where she became the city's first female mayor since its founding in 1892. The poll was held on Monday, Japan's Coming-of-Age Day holiday, due to a prior municipal ceremony.
Addressing supporters, Ogawa said, “I want to start working immediately and build a better Maebashi with you.” She added, “My unthoughtful behavior caused a stir across the country. I will gain people's trust through my actions from now on.”
During the campaign, she highlighted achievements like implementing free school lunches in municipal elementary and junior high schools. Ogawa received backing from local members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, along with conservative and unaffiliated voters. Maruyama, supported by Liberal Democratic Party-linked assembly groups and Governor Ichita Yamamoto, fell short. Other candidates, such as Setsuko Tanahashi, 64, endorsed by the Japanese Communist Party, garnered limited support.
Her new term will complete the remainder of her original four-year mandate, ending in February 2028.
