PROFILE

Ai Seike was born in 1974 in Minato-ku, Tokyo. She was educated entirely in the Minato ward, from kindergarten through university at Aoyama Gakuin University, Faculty of International Politics and Economics. She spent one year of high school in Australia as a Rotary Club exchange student. After graduating from university, she worked as a reporter for the Sankei Shimbun for seven years, mainly in the Social Affairs Department. After leaving the newspaper, she heard the voices of those who were unable to enter nursery schools and kindergartens and launched the "Minato Ward Mothers' Association" to make recommendations to the government. Ms. Seike was first elected to the Minato Ward Assembly in April 2011, and then to the Minato Ward Assembly for three consecutive terms, serving as a member of the Minato Ward Assembly for 13 years. In November 2014, she received the Grand Prize at the 9th Manifesto Awards, which is given for achievements in local politics. She was elected mayor of Minato City in June 2024.