Diversity and Municipal Marketing in Japan: An Interview with Nagareyama City Mayor Yoshiharu Izaki

How international experience and marketing principles power one of Japan’s fastest growing cities

Nagareyama City Mayor Yoshiharu Izaki stands in front of a poster featuring the phrase, “Think motherhood, think Nagareyama City” (photo by the author)

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I first learned about municipal marketing in the mid-2000s while I was earning my MBA in California. During that time, The City of Riverside Development Department hosted an on-campus presentation about promoting the city to businesses around the country, and the world, to create a vibrant community and increase economic activity. Upon graduating, I joined the city’s marketing team and experienced municipal marketing firsthand. Little did I know that years later, I would be talking about municipal marketing once again — this time as an immigrant in Japan.

Yoshiharu Izaki has been the mayor of Nagareyama City since 2003. Located in Chiba Prefecture, Nagareyama City is famous for being one of the fastest-growing cites in Japan and the only city in the country with a dedicated marketing team. Working with his team at city hall, Mayor Izaki has been leveraging his passion for diversity, urban development, and municipal marketing to…