![Sudo Toyoji, mayor of Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture [Shimotsuma City official website, mayor's profile]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/19/news-p.v1.20260619.841015b4ab884cf8b6f32ea4d9f628d6_P1.jpg)
Sudo Toyoji, 67, the mayor of Shimotsuma in Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture, was found dead just two months after taking office, shocking the local community.
According to Japanese broadcaster TBS News Dig and the Mainichi Shimbun, Sudo's body was discovered around 12:50 a.m. on June 15 in a drainage channel in the town of Yachiyo, near Shimotsuma.
His family had reported him missing to police after he failed to return home, and his body was found during the subsequent search. Local police said circumstances at the scene suggest foul play is unlikely, and they are investigating the exact cause of death.
Sudo won the Shimotsuma mayoral election in March, defeating the incumbent. He received 8,621 votes to incumbent Kikuchi Hiroshi's 8,359 — a margin of just 262 votes.
Voter turnout was 52 percent, and the narrow margin made it one of the city's most closely contested races. It was Sudo's first time holding the mayoral post, and he took office in April.
His sudden death just two months into his term has drawn expressions of grief from the local community and Japan's political circles alike.
Shimotsuma announced Sudo's death on its official website and expressed condolences. The city said the deputy mayor will serve as acting mayor until a successor is elected.
bbo@heraldcorp.com
