Toyama Prefectural Police launched a search of Toyama City Hall on the morning of December 3 under the suspicion of a Statistics Act violation, following a criminal complaint filed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications regarding population inflation in the 2025 census.
Investigators carrying cardboard boxes entered the city hall building at approximately 10 a.m. on December 3. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications filed the complaint with the prefectural police on September 29 against unnamed city employees for suspected violations of the Statistics Act, and the police accepted the filing that same day.
According to the ministry, census workers had originally determined that certain households lacked residential status and marked them with double lines on household lists. City employees then allegedly erased these double lines with erasers without any basis, inflating the recorded population figures. In the 2025 census, the city’s population was initially reported as a preliminary figure of 402,133 in May, but the final verified figure dropped to 399,197, reflecting a decrease of 2,936 residents. While scrutinizing the preliminary figures, the ministry identified discrepancies in household numbers and estimated the scale of the inflation to be at least 2,000 people.
Municipal Employees Deliberately Erased Marks to Resurrect Households
Approximately 90 percent of respondents in the 2025 census answered via the internet or by mail, while census workers visited the remaining 10 percent directly to complete survey forms. Workers drew double lines on lists to exclude households confirmed to have no resident presence, but investigators found that municipal employees deliberately erased these marks to resurrect the households. It is suspected that these employees likely filled out the questionnaires independently to simulate residency, with the planning coordination division suspected of carrying out the unauthorized alterations before submitting reports to the national government.
Mayor Hirohisa Fujii told reporters on September 29 that he received reports indicating the actions were carried out organizationally, while denying the involvement of municipal officials holding the rank of department director or higher. Mayor Fujii stated that within his knowledge—verified between the planning management director, vice mayor, and mayor—there was no instruction given to lower-ranking staff for population inflation, adding that he had neither said nor seen any such directives. The inflated population figures directly affected local allocation tax calculations, resulting in the city potentially receiving several hundred million yen more in grants than it should have for the current fiscal year. Separately, it was noted that the excess delivery potentially amounted to approximately 60 million yen for fiscal year 2026.
Did You Know? During the 2025 census process, the final verified population count for Toyama dropped by 2,936 people from the preliminary May figure of 402,133 down to 399,197, prompting the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to investigate the underlying household records.
Mayor Fujii Declines to Answer Questions Regarding Physical Erasures
Mayor Fujii declined to answer specific questions regarding the physical erasures, stating that the matter forms part of the ongoing police investigation. Regarding potential financial repayments, the mayor indicated that Toyama City would cooperate if the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications demands the return of excess funds. The city planned to release its own financial calculations regarding the tax grant discrepancies the day following the mayor’s press briefing.
Toyama Prefectural Police are currently advancing their investigation into the motives, background, and operational mechanics behind the data alterations to determine whether formal criminal charges are warranted.
Ministry Files Criminal Complaint over Census Discrepancies
Why did the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications file a criminal complaint?
The ministry filed a criminal complaint with the Toyama Prefectural Police on September 29 under the Statistics Act after discovering discrepancies in household numbers during the verification of the 2025 census preliminary figures.
How many people were added through the alleged population inflation?
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reports that the scale of the population inflation is estimated at 2,000 people or more, reflected by the 2,936-person gap between the preliminary May figure of 402,133 and the final verified figure of 399,197.
What financial impact did the population inflation have on Toyama?
The inflated population figures may have caused Toyama to receive excess local allocation taxes, with estimates suggesting the overpayment reached several hundred million yen for the current fiscal year, or approximately 60 million yen for fiscal year 2026.
How will the Toyama Prefectural Police proceed following the city hall raid?
The prefectural police will use the seized items and ongoing interrogations to clarify the motives and exact sequence of the data alterations, subsequently deciding whether to formally bring charges under the Statistics Act.