With the mayoral election coming up soon, the Nishinomiya Junior Chamber held a public debate on March 15, where the three prospective candidates took the stage〜
But this video is 1 hour and 44 minutes long… Watching the whole thing is pretty tough.
So,
Nishi2 will summarize “the differences between the three candidates” by theme〜.
We’ll bring it to you in 3 parts↓
① Childcare and Nursery Waitlists（this article）
② Money
③ The Debate Topics & Summary
First, let’s start with the topics parents are probably most interested in: “childcare” and “education”〜
目次
- 1 A quick introduction to the 3 candidates
- 2 First, what should we know? What’s childcare in Nishinomiya like right now?
- 3 What will the 3 candidates do about nursery waitlists?
- 4 What are the differences between the 3 candidates on education and child-rearing?
- 5 We want to hear your questions about city government!
- 6 So, after reading this far, aren’t you curious?
A quick introduction to the 3 candidates
By the way, the “RAT RACE” clothing they’re wearing is a local apparel brand that’s very Nishinomiya! Nishi2 just added it on our own〜
| Name | Age | Position | In one phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toshiro Ishii | 54 | Incumbent mayor（2 terms, 8 years） | “Moving forward based on results” |
| Masatake Tanaka | 50 | Former city council member（22 years）・former council chair | “Rebuild the finances and create a brighter Nishinomiya” |
| Hideki Hatamoto | 59 | Newcomer・chair of an organization for people with disabilities | “Make Nishinomiya a global model city for welfare” |
First, what should we know? What’s childcare in Nishinomiya like right now?
In 2024, Nishinomiya City had the second-worst number of children on nursery waitlists in Japan. But these “waitlist numbers” are a little tricky…
But the actual number of people who “couldn’t get into a nursery school” was 1,148.
Why such a big gap? Under the national counting method, people like the following are not included as “waitlisted children.”
・People who only applied to a specific nursery, saying “It has to be this one” 633 people
・People enrolled in company-run childcare facilities 220 people
・People who extended childcare leave 183 people
・People who paused their job search 36 people
After subtracting those, the number becomes 76.
But when someone says “It has to be this nursery,” often they’re simply hoping for one near home or one their sibling already attends…
（Source: Nishinomiya City waitlist materials R7）
When Nishi2 is out reporting, we often hear moms say, “The nursery waitlist problem still hasn’t been solved〜,” and now we can see there’s this kind of counting mechanism behind it…
When Mayor Ishii first took office, there were 413 waitlisted children, so it’s true that the number has gone down to 76. But it still hasn’t reached zero.
What will the 3 candidates do about nursery waitlists?
Among the advance questions from residents selected for the debate was: “How will you solve the shortage of nursery teachers?”
| Mr. Ishii | Mr. Tanaka | Mr. Hatamoto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | Strengthen and continue current measures | Spend more money to increase nursery teachers | First raise nursery teachers’ pay and social recognition |
| Goal | Do everything possible toward zero waitlisted children | Zero waitlisted children | （No specific numerical target was given） |
※According to Mr. Ishii, most of the 76 waitlisted children are 1-year-olds, concentrated in three areas of the city. Recently, some 3-year-olds have also started appearing on the list.
Mr. Tanaka to Mr. Ishii: “Why hasn’t this been solved after 11 straight years?”
In the latter half of the debate, there was a segment where the candidates asked each other questions. This was where Mr. Tanaka asked Mr. Ishii this very direct question.
“If producing results is what matters, how do you view the fact that waitlisted children have existed for 11 consecutive years?”
Mr. Ishii’s response: It is true that we could not bring the number to zero, and I want to apologize to those who ended up on the waitlist. The biggest factor is the shortage of nursery teachers. Most of the 76 children are 1-year-olds, concentrated in three parts of the city. We will respond by increasing funding for additional teachers for children who need developmental support. We will also expand small-scale childcare.
→ It was striking that he clearly said, “I want to apologize.” But his answer to the deeper question of “why for 11 years” mainly centered on the nursery teacher shortage, and we might have liked to hear him dig a little deeper.
What are the differences between the 3 candidates on education and child-rearing?
First, here’s one more number worth noting.
The number of children ages 0 to 5 in Nishinomiya City compared with 10 years ago is…
26,669 → 20,547
That’s a drop of about 6,000 children.
With the number of children decreasing, how should education move forward? This is another area where the three candidates showed their colors.
| Mr. Ishii | Mr. Tanaka | Mr. Hatamoto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial side | Full free medical care for children up to age 18（already achieved） | Lower childcare fees and reduce financial burdens | （Not much discussion of money） |
| Key point | The keyword is “making sure children from families without much money can still take on challenges” | His distinctive position is that “school club activities should continue” | Reduce parents’ worries through “seamless support” |
Mr. Tanaka’s comments on “club activities” were in response to the plan for junior high school club activities in Nishinomiya City to generally end from this summer. His view is that because the replacement options（such as local sports clubs）aren’t ready in time, school clubs should remain until the new system is properly in place.
We want to hear your questions about city government!
About Nishinomiya City government, the mayoral election,
“What’s going on with this?”
“I honestly want to know”
If there’s anything like that, feel free to send it in.
ゴミ、水道、子育て、医療、道路、北部のこと、お金のこと。。。「西宮市政」で生活に関係あることならなんでもOKです〜
We’d like to organize the questions we receive at Nishi2 and actually ask the prospective candidates and related people〜
So, after reading this far, aren’t you curious?
So does Nishinomiya City have that money? Actually, this may be the most important topic of all.
In the next article, we’ll break down “Nishinomiya City’s money situation” in an easy-to-understand way.
Continued in Part ②: Money
Early voting: Monday, March 23 to Saturday, March 28
9 locations in the city（City Hall, Naruo Branch Office, Kawaragi Community Center, Koto Branch Office, Shiose Branch Office, Yamaguchi Branch Office, LaLaport Koshien, Citizen-University Co-Creation Plaza（Acta East Wing 6F）, Coop Kurakuen）
【Data referenced in this article】
・Nishinomiya City waitlist materials（R3〜R7）
・Nishinomiya City Basic Resident Register population（comparison of year-end 2016 and year-end 2025）
・Public debate YouTube video（hosted by the Nishinomiya Junior Chamber, March 15, 2026）
