With the mayoral election coming up, the Nishinomiya Junior Chamber of Commerce held a public debate on March 15, and the three prospective candidates took the stage!
But this video is 1 hour and 44 minutes long… Watching the whole thing is quite a commitment.
So,
Nishitsu will break down the “differences between the 3 candidates” by topic!
We’ll cover it in 3 parts↓
① Childcare & Waitlisted Children (this article)
② Money Matters
③ The Debate Highlights & Summary
Let’s start with the topics that matter most to parents — “childcare” and “education”!
目次
- 1 A Quick Introduction to the 3 Candidates
- 2 First, the basics: What’s the deal with childcare in Nishinomiya right now?
- 3 What do the 3 candidates plan to do about the waitlist?
- 4 Education & Childcare: How do the 3 candidates differ?
- 5 Got Questions About City Politics?
- 6 After reading all this, aren’t you wondering…?
A Quick Introduction to the 3 Candidates
By the way, the “RAT RACE” clothes they’re wearing are from a local Nishinomiya apparel brand — Nishitsu just threw those on for fun!
| Name | Age | Background | In a nutshell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ishii Toshiro | 54 | Incumbent mayor (2 terms, 8 years) | “Moving forward based on results” |
| Tanaka Masatake | 50 | Former city councilor (22 years) & former council chair | “Rebuild finances for a brighter Nishinomiya” |
| Hatamoto Hideki | 59 | Newcomer & chair of a disability advocacy group | “Make Nishinomiya a world model city for welfare” |
First, the basics: What’s the deal with childcare in Nishinomiya right now?
In 2024, Nishinomiya ranked 2nd worst in the entire country for the number of children on daycare waiting lists. But there’s a catch with how “waitlisted children” are counted…
But the number of people who actually “couldn’t get into a daycare” is 1,148.
Why such a huge gap? Under the national counting method, the following people are NOT counted as “waitlisted”:
・People who only applied to one specific daycare: 633
・People enrolled in company-run daycare: 220
・People who extended parental leave: 183
・People who paused their job search: 36
Subtract all that, and you get 76.
But “only wanting one specific daycare” often just means they want the one near their home or where their older child already goes…
(Source: Nishinomiya City Waitlisted Children Data, FY2025)
At Nishitsu, we hear from moms during interviews saying, “The waitlist problem still isn’t solved!” — so that’s the trick behind the numbers…
When Mayor Ishii first took office, there were 413 waitlisted children, so it’s true that the number has dropped to 76. But it hasn’t reached zero.
What do the 3 candidates plan to do about the waitlist?
During the debate, a pre-submitted question from residents was selected: “How will you solve the childcare worker shortage?“
| Ishii | Tanaka | Hatamoto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approach | Strengthen and continue current policies | Invest more money to increase the number of childcare workers | Raise childcare workers’ pay and social status first |
| Goal | Full effort toward zero waitlisted children | Zero waitlisted children | (No specific numerical target was given) |
※According to Ishii, the majority of the 76 waitlisted children are 1-year-olds concentrated in 3 areas of the city. He says 3-year-olds are also starting to appear on the list recently.
Tanaka → Ishii: “11 years in a row — why haven’t you solved this?”
In the latter half of the debate, the candidates questioned each other directly. This is where Tanaka hit Ishii with a pointed question.
“If you say results matter, how do you explain 11 consecutive years of waitlisted children?”
Ishii’s response: It’s true that we haven’t achieved zero, and I want to apologize to those who ended up on the waitlist. The biggest factor is the childcare worker shortage. Of the 76, the majority are 1-year-olds concentrated in 3 areas. We’re increasing funding for additional staff to support children with developmental needs, and expanding small-scale childcare facilities.
→ It was striking that he said outright, “I want to apologize.” However, his answer to “why 11 years” centered on “the childcare worker shortage,” and we wished he’d dug a little deeper.
Education & Childcare: How do the 3 candidates differ?
Here’s another number worth knowing first.
The number of children aged 0–5 in Nishinomiya, compared to 10 years ago…
26,669 → 20,547
That’s a decrease of about 6,000.
With fewer children, how should education evolve? This is another area where the 3 candidates showed clear differences.
| Ishii | Tanaka | Hatamoto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial support | Free children’s medical care up to age 18 (already implemented) | Lower daycare fees & reduce financial burdens | (Less emphasis on financial measures) |
| Key feature | “Every child should be able to take on challenges, regardless of family income” is his keyword | “School club activities should continue” is his unique stance | “Seamless support” to ease parents’ anxieties |
Tanaka’s comments on “club activities” came in response to Nishinomiya’s plan to essentially end middle school club activities starting this summer. His position is that since alternatives (community sports clubs, etc.) aren’t ready yet, school clubs should remain until proper replacements are in place.
Got Questions About City Politics?
If there’s anything about Nishinomiya city politics or the mayoral election that you’re thinking,
‘What’s the deal with that?’
‘I really want to know!’
feel free to send it our way!
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’ll organize what we receive and try to actually ask the candidates and other relevant people about it!
After reading all this, aren’t you wondering…?
So does Nishinomiya actually have the funds? This might be the most important question of all.
In the next article, we’ll break down “Nishinomiya’s financial situation” in an easy-to-understand way.
② Continues in the Money Matters edition
Early Voting: Monday, March 23 – Saturday, March 28
Available at 9 locations across the city (City Hall, Naruo Branch Office, Kawaragi Community Center, Koto Branch Office, Shiose Branch Office, Yamaguchi Branch Office, LaLaport Koshien, Civic-University Co-Creation Plaza (Acta East Bldg. 6F), Co-op Kurakuen)
【Data referenced in this article】
・Nishinomiya City Waitlisted Children Data (FY2021–FY2025)
・Nishinomiya City Basic Resident Register Population (end of 2016 vs. end of 2025)
・Public Debate YouTube Video (hosted by Nishinomiya Junior Chamber of Commerce, March 15, 2026)
