Ito City mayor Maki Takubo to keep post despite academic fraud claims
On July 31, Takubo, 55, announced her intention to continue in office.
'I will devote my whole heart and soul to the cancellation of the new library construction plan, a major promise I made to the citizens,' she said. 'And I will also devote my whole heart and soul to the complete cancellation of the Izu Kogen Mega Solar Project.'
In May, Takubo was elected as mayor. She is suspected of falsifying her academic background by claiming in a city magazine that she was a graduate of Toyo University when in fact she was expelled.
Takubo later said that she believed she had graduated. She also showed the city assembly speaker what she called a diploma. However, the authenticity of the document is in question. Maki Takubo (X)
A source close to Takubo tells TV Asahi that her continued tenure was expected. 'I thought she wouldn't resign at the end of the month,' says the source. 'I have mixed feelings about her continuing. It's not that I don't want to support her, but I'm not sure what to do.'
Ito City has a population of approximately 65,000, many of whom are elderly. Tourism is the city's main industry, but visitor numbers have fallen by 500,000 compared to 20 years ago.
As a result, challenges abound — but Takubo has strong support.
'Among the relatively high-income elderly people [in the area surrounding the proposed mega-solar project], she's a heroine,' says Ito City-based journalist Yoshiaki Kiyo. 'They're treating her like Joan of Arc. She has a rock-solid support base that says, 'We have to support Maki-chan.' So she can be aggressive.'
The project includes the cutting down of the forests of Izu Kogen to install solar panels on the land. However, construction was halted in 2019, making Takubo's stance performative, says Kiyo.
'The mega-solar project issue has been largely resolved in Ito City,' says Kito. 'All that remains is the legal litigation, so even if Takubo says she'll do something as mayor, it's all just performance.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
6 hours ago
- Japan Today
Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors
Hala Al-Masri, 17, reacts at the site of an overnight Israeli strike on an UNRWA school that was sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 3, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled By Nidal al-Mughrabi Hamas said on Sunday it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western powers. Hamas said any coordination with the Red Cross is contingent upon Israel permanently opening humanitarian corridors and halting airstrikes during the distribution of aid. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas, thus far, has barred humanitarian organizations from having any kind of access to the hostages and families have little or no details of their conditions. On Saturday, Hamas released its second video in two days of Israeli hostage Evyatar David. In it, David, skeletally thin, is shown digging a hole that, he says in the video, is for his own grave. The arm of the individual holding the camera, which can be seen in the frame, is a regular width. The video of David drew criticism from Western powers and horrified Israelis. France, Germany, the UK and the U.S. were among countries to express outrage and Israel's foreign ministry announced that the UN Security Council will hold a special session on Tuesday morning on the issue of the situation of the hostages in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had asked the Red Cross to give humanitarian assistance to the hostages during a conversation with the head of the Swiss-based ICRC's local delegation. A statement from The Hostages Families Forum, which represents relatives of those being held in Gaza, said Hamas' comments about the hostages cannot hide that it "has been holding innocent people in impossible conditions for over 660 days," and demanded their immediate release. "Until their release," said the statement, "Hamas has the obligation to provide them with everything they need. Hamas kidnapped them and they must care for them. Every hostage who dies will be on Hamas's hands." Six more people died of starvation or malnutrition in Gaza over the past 24 hours, its health ministry said on Sunday as Israel said it allowed a delivery of fuel to the enclave, in the throes of a humanitarian disaster after almost two years of war. The new deaths raised the toll of those dying from what international humanitarian agencies say may be an unfolding famine to 175, including 93 children, since the war began, the ministry said. Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said two trucks carrying 107 tons of diesel were set to enter Gaza, months after Israel severely restricted aid access to the enclave before easing it somewhat as starvation began to spread. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said later in the day that four tankers of U.N. fuel had entered to help in operations of hospitals, bakeries, public kitchens and other essential services. There was no immediate confirmation whether the two diesel fuel trucks had entered Gaza from Egypt. Gaza's health ministry has said fuel shortages have severely impaired hospital services, forcing doctors to focus on treating only critically ill or injured patients. Fuel shipments have been rare since March, when Israel restricted the flow of aid into the enclave in what it said was pressure on Hamas militants to free the remaining hostages they took in their October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza but, in response to a rising international uproar, it announced steps last week to let more aid reach the population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, approving air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. U.N. agencies say airdrops are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and open up access to the territory to prevent starvation among its 2.2 million people, most of whom are displaced amidst vast swathes of rubble. COGAT said that during the past week over 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid in 1,200 trucks had entered Gaza but that hundreds of the trucks had yet to be driven to aid distribution hubs by U.N. and other international organisations. Meanwhile, Belgium's air force dropped the first in a series of its aid packages into Gaza on Sunday in a joint operation with Jordan, the Belgian defence ministry said. France on Friday started to air-drop 40 tons of humanitarian aid. LOOTED AID TRUCKS The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said on Sunday that nearly 1,600 aid trucks had arrived since Israel eased restrictions late in July. However, witnesses and Hamas sources said many of those trucks have been looted by desperate displaced people and armed gangs. More than 700 trucks of fuel entered the Gaza Strip in January and February during a ceasefire before Israel broke it in March in a dispute over terms for extending it and resumed its major offensive. Palestinian local health authorities said at least 80 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the coastal enclave on Sunday. Deaths included persons trying to make their way to aid distribution points in southern and central areas of Gaza, Palestinian medics said. Among those killed was a staff member of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which said an Israeli strike at its headquarters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza ignited a fire on the first floor of the building. The Gaza war began when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in a cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's air and ground war in densely populated Gaza has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to enclave health officials. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Tokyo Reported
a day ago
- Tokyo Reported
Ito City mayor Maki Takubo to keep post despite academic fraud claims
SHIZUOKA (TR) – Maki Takubo, the major of Ito City, last week announced her intentions to keep her post despite allegations of academic fraud, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 2). On July 31, Takubo, 55, announced her intention to continue in office. 'I will devote my whole heart and soul to the cancellation of the new library construction plan, a major promise I made to the citizens,' she said. 'And I will also devote my whole heart and soul to the complete cancellation of the Izu Kogen Mega Solar Project.' In May, Takubo was elected as mayor. She is suspected of falsifying her academic background by claiming in a city magazine that she was a graduate of Toyo University when in fact she was expelled. Takubo later said that she believed she had graduated. She also showed the city assembly speaker what she called a diploma. However, the authenticity of the document is in question. Maki Takubo (X) A source close to Takubo tells TV Asahi that her continued tenure was expected. 'I thought she wouldn't resign at the end of the month,' says the source. 'I have mixed feelings about her continuing. It's not that I don't want to support her, but I'm not sure what to do.' Ito City has a population of approximately 65,000, many of whom are elderly. Tourism is the city's main industry, but visitor numbers have fallen by 500,000 compared to 20 years ago. As a result, challenges abound — but Takubo has strong support. 'Among the relatively high-income elderly people [in the area surrounding the proposed mega-solar project], she's a heroine,' says Ito City-based journalist Yoshiaki Kiyo. 'They're treating her like Joan of Arc. She has a rock-solid support base that says, 'We have to support Maki-chan.' So she can be aggressive.' The project includes the cutting down of the forests of Izu Kogen to install solar panels on the land. However, construction was halted in 2019, making Takubo's stance performative, says Kiyo. 'The mega-solar project issue has been largely resolved in Ito City,' says Kito. 'All that remains is the legal litigation, so even if Takubo says she'll do something as mayor, it's all just performance.'
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- The Mainichi
Japan mayor at center of academic fraud scandal reverses resignation, vows to stay on
ITO, Shizuoka -- Ito Mayor Maki Takubo has reversed her decision to resign amid allegations she falsified her academic credentials, and will instead remain in office, she announced at a July 31 press conference here. The 55-year-old Takubo, who had previously indicated she would step down in July and seek re-election, said she would instead focus on fulfilling her campaign pledges, including canceling a planned library construction project and scrapping a large-scale solar power initiative. "I will devote my full energy to delivering on my promises," she stated. At the press conference, Takubo apologized, saying, "I am truly sorry for the confusion over my academic background -- it was due to my own shortcomings." She added, "I am acutely aware of the criticism and harsh comments, but I intend to move forward and strive to earn understanding through results," making clear her intention to stay on as mayor. Takubo had claimed in the city's official public relations publication to have graduated from Toyo University's School of Law, but was in fact expelled before graduation. The city assembly has passed a resolution urging her resignation and established a special investigative committee under the Local Autonomy Act to probe the matter. Takubo showed a document she described as a "diploma" to the assembly chair and others, but refused to submit it to the special committee, citing an ongoing criminal complaint against her for alleged violations of the Public Offices Election Act. She also declined to appear before the committee. At a July 29 committee session, an acquaintance of Takubo testified as a witness, stating, "She told me before taking office that she had not graduated from university." The city government remains in turmoil. The criminal complaint has been accepted by authorities. At the press conference, Takubo was asked how she would respond if police requested the "diploma." While she had indicated on July 7 that she would voluntarily submit it to prosecutors, her attorney, who attended the press conference, said, "We will likely not allow the document to be confiscated." The attorney is currently holding the document and plans to exercise the right to refuse seizure under the Code of Criminal Procedure. Takubo herself declined to comment further. On July 31, just hours before the press conference, Takubo convened a meeting of senior city officials. According to attendees, when she announced her intention to remain in office, some officials urged her to reconsider, warning that city administration could grind to a halt. For now, most Ito city assembly members are cautious about passing a no-confidence motion against Takubo, as her choosing to dissolve the chamber would also terminate the special investigative committee. The prevailing view is to wait for the committee's findings before considering a no-confidence vote. (Japanese original by Koji Wakai, Ito Local Bureau)
