難波喬司

Takashi Namba is the current Mayor of Shizuoka, having assumed office in 2023. Before his election, he had a distinguished career as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, where he specialized in port and harbor administration and disaster prevention. He later served as the Vice Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, where he gained prominence for his leadership in the prefecture's response to the linear Chuo Shinkansen project and the Atami mudslide disaster. Namba holds a doctorate in engineering from Nagoya University and has held various academic positions, including guest professorships at Kyoto University and Keio University. He is known for his technical expertise and evidence-based approach to regional infrastructure and environmental policy.