佐々木拓

Taku Sasaki is a Japanese politician currently serving as the Mayor of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture. Born in 1963, he graduated from the Tokyo University of Fisheries (now Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology) in 1986. Before entering politics, he had a long career as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, holding positions such as First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Russia and Director of the Kyushu Fisheries Adjustment Office. He was elected mayor in February 2023 after defeating the incumbent.