Billyken Kid is 52 years old and steps into the ring in Osaka wearing a mask that has been with him his whole life. In October, he won a seat on the Kawanishi City Council in Hyogo Prefecture, and he didn\u2019t take it off for a single day of his campaign.<\/p>\n
Then came the question no one in that room had ever asked: could he keep wearing it during council sessions? On November 6, the majority of the council said yes.<\/p>\n
Four of the five groups supported the idea, with a simple argument: voters elected him knowing he wore the mask. <\/p>\n
He is only asked to have his identity verified before entering. It doesn\u2019t break any rules, because there are no rules governing masks.<\/p>\n
The group that opposed it, made up of members of the Liberal Democratic Party and others, raised a concern: he had already appeared in public with and without the mask, and they wanted to know whether he would wear it all the time.<\/p>\n
After the vote, Billyken summed it up this way: \u201cMy dream came true\u201d. He acknowledged that some people disagree and said he hopes to earn recognition through his work.<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll take it off at commemorations and formal ceremonies; on other visits, he\u2019ll decide based on the wishes of whoever is welcoming him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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