Toyama City officials announced on Dec. 2 that an intentional population inflation scheme in the 2025 census resulted in the municipality receiving approximately 60,000,000 yen too much in local allocation taxes for fiscal 2026. Mayor Hirohisa Fujii confirmed the overpayment during a press conference following municipal financial department calculations that factored in population density, degree of urbanization, and regional snowfall data alongside necessary coefficients.
The financial impact stems from a discrepancy between the census preliminary figures and final counts. While Mayor Fujii initially estimated the overpayment at roughly 200 million yen—calculated as 1% of the total 17.28 billion yen allocation based on a 1% overall population variance—subsequent treasury department modeling fixed the potential excess at roughly 60 million yen. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications previously filed a criminal complaint against unnamed Toyama City staff under the Statistics Act, alleging municipal employees filled out survey forms to simulate residential occupancy, with multiple staff members suspected of involvement in inflating the count by at least 2,000 individuals. Total preliminary figures reported in May stood at 402,133 residents, compared to the final certified count of 399,197—a precise gap of 2,936 people.
Did You Know? The census preliminary count for Toyama City reached 402,133 residents in May, exceeding the final certified total of 399,197 by exactly 2,936 people.
Mayor Fujii Pledges Repayment and Reshuffles Department Leadership
Addressing the fiscal fallout, Mayor Fujii stated that the municipal government intends to respond sincerely to any directives issued by the central government, explicitly including the return of excess funds. To maintain administrative stability while police investigations proceed, the city announced a series of personnel reassignments effective Dec. 5. Current Planning Management Department Director Hiroki Shimizu, who headed the 2025 census implementation headquarters, moves to the post of Citizens’ Life Department Councilor. At the same time, Planning Management Department Deputy Director Masayuki Yamaguchi shifts to serve as Commerce, Labor and Industry Department Deputy Director.
Mayor Fujii explained that the administrative reshuffle is designed to keep core policy planning running smoothly ahead of upcoming budget formulation while shielding staff from administrative disruptions. The mayor noted that the reassignments also account for the psychological burden on key personnel involved in the census period, ensuring they remain available to fully cooperate with police investigators. Despite intense public criticism from residents questioning whether upper management ordered the data alteration, Mayor Fujii defended his stance of denying institutional directives by pointing to his trust in senior staff, stating he accepts their explicit denials at face value pending the outcome of the police investigation.
Toyama City received excess local allocation taxes
How much extra local allocation tax did Toyama City receive?
Toyama City financial department calculations indicate the municipality received approximately 60 million yen too much in local allocation taxes for fiscal 2026 as a result of the inflated census figures.
Who was penalized or reassigned following the census scandal?
Effective Dec. 5, Planning Management Department Director Hiroki Shimizu moved to Citizens’ Life Department Councilor, and Planning Management Department Deputy Director Masayuki Yamaguchi shifted to Commerce, Labor and Industry Department Deputy Director.
What was the exact population difference between the preliminary and final census counts?
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported a final Toyama City population of 399,197, which sat 2,936 below the preliminary figure of 402,133 published in May.
How will Toyama City rebuild local confidence after the police conclude their investigation into the census data falsification?