Dr. Tatsuo Igarashi
Mayor of the City of Tsukuba
Born in 1978, M.A. in Public Policy from University College London, PhD in International Political Economy from the University of Tsukuba.
As mayor of Tsukuba since 2016, he has been promoting deep-tech start-ups and using technology to solve social issues, leveraging the city's strengths as Japan's largest science city with nearly 150 research institutions, including the University of Tsukuba and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
In 2022, the Japanese Government designated Tsukuba as a 'Super City-type National Strategic Special Zone', one of only two such zones in the country, and he is leading efforts towards an inclusive and sustainable society, particularly through programmes such as realising internet voting and building a seamless mobility system.