Message from the President of the National Governors' Association

I am Shuichi Abe, Governor of Nagano Prefecture, and I assumed the office of the President of the National Governors' Association on September 3, 2025.

Drawing upon over 40 years of experience exclusively dedicated to local governance, I am fully committed to my responsibilities as President, and will undertake this duty with the cooperation and support of all fellow governors.

The guiding principle, or slogan, of the National Governors' Association is: "Driving Japan forward from the Field."

At this historic turning point, 80 years after the end of World War II, stagnation in politics and administration can no longer be tolerated. Together with fellow governors who have a deep understanding of the hopes and anxieties of our people, we will drive Japan forward from the local level and forge a bright future.

Japan is in the midst of unprecedented changes: rapid demographic shifts due to declining birthrates, worsening climate change, technological innovations including generative AI, and the instability of global order in economic and security spheres. What is required for this age is a paradigm shift--a breaking from conventional wisdom and values.

To achieve this, we prefectural governors must take initiative to drive social transformation with a sense of responsibility and determination, rather than waiting for the national government to act. We will strengthen our policy advocacy function toward the national government while engaging in local-driven 'policy proposals' and prefectural 'proactive initiatives,' and also actively pursuing dialogues with political parties and working on co-creation with the business sector to tackle complex social challenges.

Furthermore, we will strongly urge the national government to undertake cross-party policy discussions and structural reforms based on a long-term vision, regarding population decline countermeasures and reforms to the national and local governmental division of roles.

We will also enhance cooperation with the Japan Association of City Mayors and National Association of Towns and Villages, as well as the three assemblies' associations (the National Association of Chairpersons of Prefectural Assemblies, National Association of Chairpersons of City Councils, and National Association of Chairpersons of Town and Village Assemblies), to realize more robust regional management with the municipalities.

Based on this fundamental stance, our efforts will be focused on the following four key areas:

1 Countermeasures against population decline

We will work on fostering communities that retain and attract young people and women, establishing environments where people can have and raise children without worry, building a decentralized society where urban and rural areas can mutually develop, and constructing a sustainable society even amid population decline.

2 Advancement of gender equality

We promote the elimination of fixed gender role stereotypes and unconscious bias, advance women's transition to full-time employment and wage increases, and support to keep work-life balance with childcare responsibilities.

3 Restructuring the roles of national and local governments

We will propose structural reforms to the national government, including reorganizing tasks deemed 'national standard' as national government affairs, reviewing excessive national government involvement, and examining of funding commensurate with operations.

4 Updating local autonomy and democracy

We will address the dissolution of joint House of Councilors electoral districts, seek to introduce a framework for reflecting local opinions in the Diet, lower the eligibility age for public office and reform the unified local elections system.

In my book Let's Change Our Society from the Field, I once advocated social change driven by local initiatives. Transformation always begins in the field, which I still firmly believe today. The field here is workplaces where people labor tirelessly every day, schools where children nurture their dreams, and healthcare and nursing frontlines where lives are at stake. While the desperate voices and concerns of the people are heard, there are also seeds of hope for the future. We must truly listen to these small voices and hopes. To have them captured, formulated and delivered as policy--that is the very responsibility of those of us engaged in local governance.

I am ready to lead the National Governors' Association and devote myself fully to the revitalization of Japan under the flag of "Driving Japan forward from the Field". I will undertake this role with sincerity and with a strong sense of responsibility, in collaboration with all fellow governors to reform and revitalize Japan. Thank you.

Shuichi Abe
President of National Governors' Association