菅原茂

Shigeru Sugawara is a Japanese politician currently serving as the Mayor of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. Born in Kesennuma, he graduated from the Tokyo University of Fisheries before working for the trading company Tomen and later at Sugacho Suisan. He entered politics after serving as a public secretary to House of Representatives member Itsunori Onodera. First elected as mayor in 2010, he has since secured five consecutive terms, notably leading the city through the recovery efforts following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. He remains the only mayor in the coastal regions of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures to have been in office since the disaster occurred.