Tokyo International News Agency

On September 10th, Maki Takubo, Mayor of Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture, announced her decision to dissolve the city assembly. This action followed the passage of a no-confidence motion against her, which was submitted by the city assembly regarding allegations of academic credential fraud. Consequently, new city council elections are expected to be held within 40 days, as stipulated by the Local Autonomy Law. Mayor Takubo stated her reason for the dissolution: “I believed it was necessary to once again broadly ask the citizens for their trust.” Mayor Takubo had received a unanimous no-confidence resolution from the city assembly on September 1st. Under the Local Autonomy Law, when a head of a local government receives a no-confidence resolution, they are faced with a choice within 10 days: either dissolve the assembly or resign, thereby losing office. The mayor chose to dissolve the assembly rather than resign, demonstrating an intention to seek a renewed mandate from the citizens. Thi...

On the 10th, Maki Takubo, Mayor of Ito City, submitted a document to Assembly Speaker Hiromichi Nakajima notifying him of the dissolution of the city assembly. This action followed a no-confidence motion passed by the city assembly, which stemmed from allegations of academic fraud against the mayor. Consequently, the Ito City Assembly has been dissolved, and a city council election will be held within 40 days. The academic fraud allegations surrounding Mayor Takubo came to light in early June. In response, the Ito City Assembly unanimously passed a no-confidence resolution at its plenary session on September 1st. Under the Local Autonomy Act, if a no-confidence motion is passed, the mayor must choose within 10 days to either resign or dissolve the assembly. Mayor Takubo opted for the latter, dissolving the assembly. This decision has drawn criticism from many citizens and experts on social media. Comments include: "This isn't an issue with the assembly or a policy dispute; it ...