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Shiba Inu lead developer Shytoshi Kusama met with a Japanese politician and former Council Member of the city of Kesennuma at the IVS crypto conference in Japan.
Kusama has continued to make headlines amid his attendance of the ongoing conference, scheduled to run until July 6. Notably, last month, Shiba Inu emerged as a gold sponsor of the IVS Crypto 2024 event, marking the latest of a series of sponsorship deals the project has secured in recent times.
Shiba Inu Lead’s Physical Presence at IVS Crypto 2024
However, in an interesting twist, Kusama expressed his intentions to physically be present at the event. This would mark the first time the enigmatic Shiba Inu lead would present himself physically at an event. Kusama made good on his promise and attended the event today.
Nonetheless, videos and pictures from the event indicated that Kusama concealed his face with a mask. This development dashed the hopes of community members who were eager to unmask the lead developer. Interestingly, some of the pictures, which came from Riri, a Japanese-based SHIB enthusiast, revealed an intriguing detail.
Notably, Shiba Inu marketer Lucie shared a picture featuring Shytoshi bowing to another individual, a customary greeting in Japanese culture. The community later uncovered that the other individual, who had remained unknown at the time, is a notable Japanese politician.
Our humble king BatBoshi @ShytoshiKusama
Happy to see all the excitement of japanese community
I personally thank you to @riri_shibarmy who went above all provide with photo and video evidence. pic.twitter.com/anwKilFKQk
— 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐄 | SHIB.IO (@LucieSHIB) July 5, 2024
Kusama Meets with Japanese Politician Kumagai
Further investigation by The Crypto Basic revealed that the person in the picture is Ippei Kumagai. A 44-year-old Japanese national, Kumagai served for 14 years in the Miyagi Prefectural Government. Following this, he secured an election into the City Council of the Japanese city of Kesennuma.
After two terms as a City Council member, Kumagai resigned, now devoting his time to developments in Minamisanriku and Kesennuma. Being an open-minded individual, the Japanese politician appears to have an affinity for the crypto industry. He was in attendance at the IVS 2024 event, where he met Kusama.
Commenting on the recent visibility, Kumagai expressed his delight in meeting Kusama. According to him, part of his vision is to leverage Web3 for livening up Japan at the regional level. Notably, the Japanese government is actively looking to develop Web3 in the country, introducing policies to bolster the industry.
IVS2024にて
あのShytoshiさんにお会いできて嬉しい😸
web3で日本、とりわけ地方を盛り上げたい！という私の思いは拙い英語で伝わったかは謎ですが、意を汲もうと耳を傾けてくださったことに感動😿#芝犬コイン #SHIB #IVS2024 #IVSCrypto https://t.co/vRRXy5EhRi— くまがい一平（宮城県議会議員） (@kumapeichan) July 5, 2024
Shiba Inu has also garnered appeal from retail and institutional investors in Japan. In April, SBI VC Trade, the exchange business of Japanese financial giant SBI, spotlighted a SHIB passive income scheme. The leading banking institution opened applications for Japanese investors to gain exposure to the scheme.
When he revealed his presence in Japan earlier this month, Kusama confirmed plans to discuss SHIB in the country. According to him, his intentions are to discuss Web3, Shiba Inu and the ecosystem team’s plans with the brightest minds. It remains to be seen if the meeting between Kumagai and Kusama would yield any upcoming partnership or development.