椋野美智子

Michiko Mukuno is a Japanese politician and former government official serving as the Mayor of Hita, Oita Prefecture. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, she had a distinguished career in the Ministry of Health and Welfare, where she was responsible for drafting the 1998 White Paper on Health and Welfare, which focused on the declining birthrate. Before entering politics, she served as a professor at Oita University and Matsuyama University, specializing in social security and welfare policy. She became the first female mayor in Oita Prefecture following her election in 2023, bringing extensive expertise in regional revitalization and social welfare to her administration.