西宮市長選「市政ちょっと聞きたい！」3人に5テーマで聞いてみた

In this Nishinomiya mayoral election, even after looking at flyers or listening to what the candidates have to say, it’s pretty common to feel like, “I still don’t really get it.”

We collected the “Honestly, this is what I want to ask!” questions from our readers and asked the three candidates running for office about five themes.

This article is also set up so you can sort out what matters most to you.

*We’ve tried to preserve the original wording of each candidate’s answers, but Nishitsu has rephrased some parts to make comparisons easier. Links to the original answers are included in each theme, so please check those too.

Points Each Candidate Emphasized in Their Answers

Ishii	Tanaka	Hatamoto
Steadily move forward with the current improvement plan. Gradually make changes while protecting what needs to be protected	The current plan is not enough. Change the priorities and pick up the pace	Change the system with data and AI. Reach the people who are not being reached

*These are characteristics Nishitsu read from each candidate’s answers.

Now, let’s look at each theme.

1 ① How Will They Rebuild Nishinomiya’s Troubled Finances?
2 ② Will Childcare and Parenting Get Easier?

① How Will They Rebuild Nishinomiya’s Troubled Finances?

Readers asked things like, “The city newsletter says the deficit is continuing” and “personnel costs for city hall staff,” so we asked about finances and personnel costs.

What Are Finances and Personnel Costs About?

This theme is connected to how tax money is used, the content of citizen services such as welfare, and things like waiting times at service counters.

The Differences

・Ishii → Steadily move forward with the current fiscal improvement plan. By fiscal 2028, maintain a fund balance of at least 15 billion yen while shifting to operations that do not rely on the fund.
・Tanaka → The current plan is not enough. Rework the priorities. First show commitment by cutting the mayor’s salary, then conduct a full review of burdens on residents.
・Hatamoto → Change the system with AI and data. Shift the structure of furusato nozei hometown tax donations toward the corporate version, and redirect freed-up personnel to welfare.

What Matters Most to You?

Reducing the burden on residents
Whether the city’s financial foundation becomes stable
Whether the way city hall works will change

Tap to see the details of the three candidates’ answers

	Ishii	Tanaka	Hatamoto
Review First	Review projects whose impact has weakened and redirect resources to new needs	Cut the mayor’s salary by 30%. Conduct a full review of residents’ burdens. Use EBPM to整理 projects with limited impact	Improve efficiency through AI and DX. Change the deficit structure of furusato nozei hometown tax donations
Protect	Child-rearing, education, and medical care	Child-rearing, education, disaster prevention, and welfare	Child-rearing, welfare, and education. Support for those who sustain mutual support in the community
Personnel Costs	Improve efficiency through work reforms and outsourcing, rather than simple salary cuts. Also introduce performance-focused evaluations	Review projects through DX and EBPM. Create a system where staff who deliver results are evaluated fairly	No simple cuts. Use AI to free up people and redirect them to welfare and consultation services
AI	Start gradually with inquiries, document creation, and data analysis. Expand citywide over four years	Run trials for document creation, inquiries, and general affairs, then expand to service counters and internal operations	In year one, automate meeting minutes and introduce counters where residents don’t have to fill out forms. In year two, AI monitoring. Within four years, make proposals to the national government

*EBPM means a way of deciding policies based on data and results.
*DX means using digital technology to change the way work itself is done.
*“Reducing personnel costs” does not simply mean “just lowering salaries.” All three candidates are moving in the direction of changing how work is handled. However, their speed and methods differ.

What the Three Have in Common

All three candidates share the idea that this is not just about simple salary cuts. They also share the direction of using AI and DX.

📄 See the original answers → Ishii｜Tanaka｜Hatamoto

② Will Childcare and Parenting Get Easier?

Readers sent comments such as “Nishinomiya has the second-worst number of children on nursery school waiting lists. Are you actually going to improve this?,” “I want childcare fees to be free for the second child,” and “It’s strange that when the older child enters elementary school, the third child is treated as the first child,” so we asked about childcare and parenting support.

What Are Childcare and Parenting Support About?

This is about whether people can work, what to do about siblings, and whether families can have another child. In Nishinomiya, there are 76 children officially on waiting lists, but 1,148 people were actually unable to get a spot.

Here Are the Differences

・Ishii → Continue current support while increasing capacity. Provide broad support through free medical care and reduced school lunch burdens
・Tanaka → Make childcare fees zero for the second child and beyond. Directly reduce household burdens and put the brakes on population decline
・Hatamoto → First create a foundation where “there is someone you can rely on when you’re in trouble”. Rather than uniform support, deliver support to people who are not being reached

*Hatamoto answered that “uniform reductions in childcare fees are not a priority right now,” which makes this policy different from the other two candidates.