was a Japanese

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was the last

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Yono, Saitama was a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. On May 1, 2001, Yono was merged with the cities of Urawa and Ōmiya to create the city of Saitama. Since April 1, 2003, the area of former Yono City is only consisted of Chūō-ku of Saitama ...

. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Ihara joined Niigata Engineering in 1950. He was appointed as

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

of Yono in April 1979. Ihara won in the mayoral election held in April 1983, succeeding Saburō Shiratori, who had governed Yono for 24 years. He served as mayor for 18 years until the city of Yono was dissolved to form the city of Saitama on 1 May 2001. He also served as acting mayor of Saitama until

Sōichi Aikawa was a Japanese politician. Biography Aikawa was born in Urawa, Saitama. A graduate of Keio University, he was elected mayor of Urawa in 1991 and served for ten years. On 27 May 2001, he was chosen as the first mayor of the city of Saitama, which ...

was elected as its first mayor on 27 May 2001. Ihara did not run in the mayoral election to maintain neutrality. Ihara died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at age 80. A statue of him was built at the ward office of Chūō to honor him in 2008.

Honors

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

, 3rd Class

References

* Mayors of places in Saitama Prefecture People from Saitama (city) University of Tokyo alumni 1926 births 2007 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in Japan {{Japan-politician-1920s-stub