Obituaries

Masanori Matsugawa, Mayor of Ginowan, Okinawa Pref., Dies at Hotel in Tokyo, Aged 70; Met with Chief Cabinet Secretary at Prime Minister’s Office Thursday

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Ginowan Mayor Masanori Matsugawa responds to questions from reporters on October 5, 2023.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:33 JST, July 26, 2024

Masanori Matsugawa, 70, mayor of Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture, was found unresponsive on Friday morning in a business hotel room in Akasaka, Minato Ward, Tokyo, and was confirmed dead at the scene. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the death which is believed to be the result of illness.

According to the Ginowan City government, Matsugawa was in Tokyo to make a request regarding the use of the site of the Futenma air station, which is located in a dense residential area of the city and is said to be “the most dangerous in the world.” His trip was scheduled to last from Wednesday to Friday, and he met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi at the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday.

Matsugawa, a native of Ginowan City, was first elected mayor in September 2018 with the support of the ruling parties that promotes the relocation of the Futenma air station to Henoko, Nago City, and was reelected in September 2022 on a platform of supporting the relocation and was currently serving his second term.