Shinzo Hamai

Shinzo Hamai (浜井 信三) (1905-1968) is the first popularly elected Mayor of Hiroshima (served 1947-1955 and again 1959-1967). He created Hiroshima's image as a city of peace. The circumstances of his rise to prominence result from the fact that following the nuclear holocaust in Hiroshima, many municipal employees were killed or incapacitated, while Hamai was only slightly injured. His relief activities for reconstruction made him popular, thus leading to his election in 1947.