Tokyo International News Agency

Allegations have surfaced that Gifu Chosen Gakuen (Gifu Korean School) made multiple overlapping subsidy applications to various local governments, prompting city council members to request an audit. According to a report by Sankei News, the school is suspected of reusing the same receipts to receive subsidies from three different municipalities. Specifically, while the actual project cost was 340,634 yen, the total subsidies received amounted to 434,500 yen. This discrepancy suggests the possibility of fraudulent receipt of funds. Following this report, severe criticism erupted on social media, with numerous comments such as "What do they think of the public's tax money?", "It's nothing but fraud," and "All subsidies should be stopped." There were also calls to "expose the darkness of public fund exploitation," accusations of "fraudulent group," and debates questioning the very appropriateness of providing subsidies to Korean s...

The term "nakatsuki" (中抜き) has recently trended on social media, sparking an explosion of public dissatisfaction and anger over the Japanese government's handling of public funds. Particularly concerning the opaque flow of money related to gasoline subsidies and public works projects, voices are piling up, stating, "Tens to hundreds of billions of yen siphoned off from our blood taxes" and "Stop taking the public for fools." A symbolic example cited is the operation of gasoline subsidies. Despite the government investing 30.2 yen per liter of gasoline, the retail price drop has been limited to just 13.1 yen, leading to suspicions and reports that the remaining 17 yen may have been "nakatsuki" – siphoned off. In response, many users have flooded social media with criticisms like, "Was it all just to siphon off gasoline subsidies?" and "Siphoning off more than half – this is too malicious, even for tax money laundering." Som...

The Metropolitan Police Department announced on the 5th the arrest of Kaoru Sakagawa, 56, president of the travel agency JCIT (Chuo Ward, Tokyo), and her husband, Meng Wei, 53, a director at the same company, on suspicion of fraud. They are accused of illegally receiving approximately 650 million yen (about 4.1 million US dollars) in "Employment Adjustment Subsidies," a government support measure for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspects are alleged to have inflated employee numbers and other details between 2020 and 2022 to defraud the system. According to investigative sources, JCIT is a travel agency primarily serving Chinese tourists. The Metropolitan Police Department suspects that the fraudulently obtained subsidies were used to purchase an apartment in Chuo Ward, a substantial plot of land in Yamanashi Prefecture (approximately 750 tsubo or 2,475 square meters), and luxury cars. Ms. Sakagawa came to Japan in September 1992, enrolled in a Japanese m...

During the severe winter closure period on Mount Fuji, a Chinese national, who was solo climbing, fell and slid, prompting a rescue operation. The Shizuoka Prefectural Police Mountain Rescue Team was dispatched, and rescue efforts for the man are underway. This incident has ignited a lively debate on social media regarding the dangers of winter climbing and the burden of rescue costs. The accident occurred shortly after 1:00 PM on January 18th near the 8th station of Mount Fuji. The Chinese national fell, then slid, and requested rescue as he was unable to walk due to injuries. In response to the call, ten members of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police Mountain Rescue Team rushed to the scene. Rescue operations on Mount Fuji in winter are extremely difficult, and the site was under severe conditions with strong winds, forcing the rescue team to wait with the injured man near the 8th station. Since the man is unable to move on his own, transportation is scheduled to take place after the arr...

On the 19th, Prime Minister Takaichi announced her intention to make a lump-sum repayment of approximately 570 billion yen from the operating profits of the Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance (CALI) that had been transferred to the general account and remained unreturned for an extended period. This issue has been dubbed "the Ministry of Finance's 'borrow-and-not-return' problem" and "the case of the missing 600 billion yen," and has been a long-standing concern among the public. The context CALI is a mandatory insurance designed to provide relief to victims of traffic accidents. Its operating profits are originally intended to be used for supporting victims who suffer severe after-effects from traffic accidents. However, in fiscal years 1994 and 1995, the government transferred a total of approximately 1.1 trillion yen to the general account, citing financial difficulties at the time. While a portion of this was later returned, the majority remai...

A scoop by the Mainichi Shimbun has revealed that the Osaka Prefectural Branch of the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai) allocated political party subsidies to a company represented by Fumitake Fujita, a member of the House of Representatives. This revelation has caused widespread ripples, with many critics on social media pointing out a contradiction with the party's fundamental principle of 'reforms that cut their own flesh' (身を切る改革), leading to a flood of criticism. According to reports, the Japan Innovation Party's Osaka Prefectural Branch disbursed a substantial amount of funds to the company represented by Mr. Fujita's secretary, under headings such as 'leaflet production costs.' These funds included political party subsidies, which are sourced from taxpayer money. The head of this branch is Hirofumi Yoshimura, who is also the co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party (and Governor of Osaka Prefecture), leading to increasing calls for his accou...