Nishinomiya Mayoral Election Debate Recap Candidates Ask Each Other Tough Questions

Summary of the public debate hosted by the Junior Chamber for the Nishinomiya mayoral election, Part ③: The Debate & Wrap-Up Edition〜

Here are the previous articles↓

Nishinomiya Mayoral Election Debate Money Edition Summary Explaining the City’s Finances

2026年3月24日

A roundup of the three Nishinomiya mayoral candidates’ childcare policies and what they say about waitlisted children

2026年3月22日

This time, we’re summarizing the moments when the candidates called on each other directly and asked questions. This was the most interesting part〜

These weren’t prepared answers, but how they responded when pressed. You can really see their true thoughts〜

※At the debate, there were two rounds: one on “finance” and one on “free topics.” Nishi2 has arranged them in the order we felt was the most exciting.

First, the big picture. Who went after whom?

During the debate, there were two moments when the candidates named another candidate and asked them a question.

Here are the nomination patterns↓

Mr. Tanaka named Mr. Ishii both times (showing a clear stance against the incumbent)
Mr. Hatamoto went from Mr. Ishii → Mr. Tanaka, in a well-balanced way
Mr. Ishii asked questions to both, going from Mr. Hatamoto → Mr. Tanaka

Who they chose to question shows what they were most concerned about〜

Let’s take a look one by one〜

Six Direct Questions Between the Candidates

To make things easier to understand, these aren’t exact word-for-word quotes, but the content is almost exactly the same〜

❶ Mr. Tanaka → Mr. Ishii: “Why haven’t you been able to eliminate the childcare waiting list for 11 straight years?”

🏷️ The sharpest question

If you say “delivering results is important,” how do you view the result that children have been left on the waiting list for 11 consecutive years?

It is true that we were not able to bring the number down to zero, and I would like to apologize to those who ended up on the waiting list. The biggest factor is a shortage of nursery teachers. Of the 76 children, most are one-year-olds, and they are concentrated in three areas within the city. We will also continue expanding small-scale childcare services.

It was striking that he clearly said, “I would like to apologize.” But as for the root of “why for 11 years,” his answer centered on the nursery teacher shortage, and I kind of wanted to hear a little more. We covered this in more detail in Part ① on child-rearing too〜↓

❷ Mr. Tanaka → Mr. Ishii: “If you say you’ll limit new projects, how will you do new things?”

🏷️ Pointing out a contradiction

For fiscal 2026, you issued a notice saying “basically no new projects,” right? But you’ve been talking about doing various things. Isn’t that contradictory?

It is “basically none,” but we will carefully select and approve things that are truly necessary. For example, expanding support for students who are not attending school, or the budget for demolishing Resort Hama. For projects that cannot be stopped, we will combine them with others so they do not expand unnecessarily.

The question of “who decides the criteria for careful selection?” may still remain

❸ Mr. Ishii → Mr. Tanaka: “I understand your criticism. Please tell us your own vision for Nishinomiya.”

🏷️ The incumbent fired back

I read the leaflet Mr. Tanaka has been distributing. I understand the sharp criticism of the current city administration. So I’d like to hear what kind of Nishinomiya Mr. Tanaka himself is aiming for, along with your vision and overall direction.

In the Hanshin area, where the population has begun to decline, population loss is a serious issue. The most important thing is to increase the number of families raising children. First, I want to rebuild the city’s finances, and also support the local economy and industries.

He brought up “measures to address the declining birthrate” and “industrial promotion,” but my impression was that he didn’t go quite as far into “what kind of city, specifically, do you want to create?” which is probably what Mr. Ishii wanted to hear

❹ Mr. Ishii → Mr. Hatamoto: “Where will the funding for welfare come from?”

🏷️ A very direct question

I think the vision of becoming a model welfare city is wonderful. So which areas would you expand, and where would the funding come from?

“Welfare-minded Nishinomiya” is known even among national parent groups and other organizations I’m involved with. First, we should introduce no-lifting care, which can be done without spending money, at all facilities. In Kochi Prefecture, there have been proven results in reducing work-related injuries caused by lower back pain.

He answered with “things that can be done without spending money,” but my impression was that the part about “where will the funding come from for policies that require major spending?” wasn’t very clear…

※No-lifting care refers to caregiving and nursing methods in which staff do not “lift, carry, or drag” the bodies of care recipients.

❺ Mr. Hatamoto → Mr. Ishii: “With the integrated hospital, how far will you go on transitional care and emergency systems?”

🏷️ A question based on personal experience

My son has a disability and can only use the thin needles used in pediatrics. Once he becomes an adult, he can no longer be treated. Will this “transitional care” and emergency DX be advanced at the integrated hospital?