Mac Akasaka

, also known as Mac Akasaka (マック 赤坂, Makku Akasaka), is a Japanese businessman, retired politician and activist and former perennial candidate.

Biography He was born in Nagoya, grew up in a struggling family, and attended Kyoto University. He spent 25 years as an executive at the trading company Itochu, where he built a rare-earth metals trading business and ultimately retired early with a 120 million yen severance package. He now manages the Smile Therapy Association in Akasaka, Tokyo. Akasaka claims to have personal assets of billions of yen, which he uses to cover the cost of his political campaigns.

He has run for various political offices in recent years, including the Minato City Assembly (2007), the House of Representatives (2007, 2009, and 2010), Governor of Tokyo (2007, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016), Governor of Osaka Prefecture (2011), Governor of Niigata Prefecture (2012) and Mayor of Osaka City (2014), running as the candidate of the . In these elections he has become known for flamboyant election speeches, often in costume, and for staging impromptu concerts in public areas such as central Shibuya. His official election speech broadcasts, in which he stressed the importance of smiling while wearing an outlandish costume such as Superman or a space alien, became popular on YouTube and other video sites.

Akasaka won a seat in the Minato District Council in 2019, his 14th election; Akasaka considered this to be his last attempt at an election. He retired at the end of his term in 2023 due to his failing health.

Legal issues Tonami was indicted for tax fraud in 2010 on charges that he concealed 234 million yen in income over a span of three years, and received a suspended prison sentence.