[Open Lecture] Mayor Ishii of Nishinomiya City was invited as Lecturer for the first half of the 2025 open lecture.

The main theme of the public lectures for the first half of 2025 will be "Talking about 100 years of Nishinomiya," and Lecturer from a variety of fields with ties to Nishinomiya City will give talks.

On Saturday, April 12th, the mayor of Nishinomiya City took to the stage and gave a lecture on the theme of "Nishinomiya, a place of rest and comfort, an educational and residential city, and its future."

More than 200 people gathered on the day, as the cherry blossoms of Shukugawa were in full bloom. The lecture covered the history of the city, including geographical factors, the development of the railway network, and the cancellation of plans to build an oil refinery due to citizen opposition, leading up to the "Declaration of a City of Education and Housing" in 1963. He also gave a clear explanation of measures to deal with the coming aging and population decline.

Participants shared their impressions, such as, "I felt closer to the mayor," "I love Nishinomiya City even more now," and "I'm really glad I live in Nishinomiya City."

The next event will be held on Saturday, May 10th, and will feature the theme "Turn rice into laughter! ~Together with the land of Nishinomiya~" with Tatsuma Takehito Chairperson of the Board the Hakushika Memorial Sake Museum, a public interest incorporated foundation, as Lecturer.

Please note that the open lectures scheduled for the first semester (May to July) have already reached capacity and are now closed to registration.

(Source: Regional and Social Cooperation Office)