平井伸治

Shinji Hirai is the Governor of Tottori Prefecture, currently serving his fifth consecutive term. A former bureaucrat in the Ministry of Home Affairs (now the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), he served as the Director of the General Affairs Division and Deputy Governor of Tottori before his initial election as governor in 2007. Throughout his tenure, Hirai has gained national recognition for his proactive regional promotion strategies, including his efforts to highlight Tottori's unique local assets. He has also served as the Chairman of the National Governors' Association and as a member of the government's COVID-19 response subcommittee. Known for his approachable style and use of humor in public relations, he remains a prominent figure in Japanese local governance.