Full Breakdown
Police Search Over Census Inflation in Toyama
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Background: 2025 Census Figures and Funding
Toyama City Hall’s census division released a preliminary population count of 402,133 in May 2025. The figure was used to calculate local allocation tax grants for fiscal 2026. After the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued final figures, the city’s population was listed at 399,197, indicating a reduction of more than 2,000 residents. The ministry said the discrepancy suggested that city staff had padded the count, potentially affecting the amount of grant money received.
Data & Statistics
- Final population (Ministry of Internal Affairs): 399,197.
- Preliminary population (May release): 402,133.
- Estimated over-allocation to Toyama: ? ¥60 million, according to the city’s own estimate.
Official Statements & Responses
Toyama Mayor Hirohisa Fujii denied that any senior officials ordered the inflation, emphasizing that the motive was not to keep the city’s population above the 400,000-resident threshold used for funding calculations. He pledged to assume responsibility “at the appropriate time.” The Toyama Prefectural Police, deploying about ten investigators in suits, conducted a search of the fifth-floor census office, seizing documents and equipment. The Ministry of Internal Affairs filed a criminal complaint against unidentified city staff for alleged violations of the Statistics Law.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We take the police search very seriously and will continue to fully cooperate with the investigation,” — Hirohisa Fujii, toyama mayor
The investigation remains ongoing, with police and the ministry indicating that multiple staff members are under suspicion. The case highlights the sensitivity of population data in Japan’s fiscal grant system and raises questions about internal controls within municipal census operations.