Kumamoto Prefectural Executives Say "Enough" to the Alleged Oversight of Fraudulent Receipt of Subsidies|Internal Investigation Report and Waiting for the Establishment of a Third-Party Investigation Agency

Currently, in Kumamoto Prefecture, suspicions of fraudulent receipt of subsidies and overlooked instructions by Kumamoto Prefectural executives have surfaced in travel products sold by Kumamoto City's travel agency "TKU Human" in the 2022 nationwide travel support project "Kumamoto Rediscovery Trip".

TKU Human is a staffing agency that is a subsidiary of Fuji Television affiliate TV Kumamoto and has a travel department. According to media reports, TKU Human is said to have fraudulently received approximately 20 million yen for day trip products with taxi tickets sold between October 2021 ~ May of the following year, even though they were not eligible for subsidies.
This travel product required that the departure and arrival points be the same when the user boarded the taxi. However, TKU Human is suspected of fraud, such as failing to confirm the departure and arrival points of users and informing them that they do not need to use taxis.

The allegations of fraud were filed on September 7 by the person concerned through his lawyer at the Prefectural Police Press Club. Public Welfare Bulletin It was discovered by doing. The subject of the report is "Regarding the oversight of the prefectural executive's instructions regarding the inappropriate operation of the Kumamoto Prefecture travel subsidy project (report)", and it is said that several Kumamoto prefectural executives instructed the manager in charge to overlook the fraudulent activities of TKU Human. In addition, it is explained that there are remarks such as "Enough", "Millimillimeter filling", and "It seems to be the prefectural decision" as voice data of prefectural officials. As a result, the manager in charge did not point out the problem, and the fraudulent receipt was hidden.

The whistleblower is seeking an investigation by a third-party investigative agency. In addition, he expressed his opinion that the survey members should not include prefectural officials, the tourism federation, and the JTB Kumamoto Branch of the Travel Support Secretariat. This seems to indicate the whistleblower's distrust of those involved in the prefecture's tourism business.

On the 8th, the day after the whistleblower, the governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, Kamashima, denied his involvement and commented that he had instructed the people involved to "investigate and confirm the facts." However, on the 12th, the governor instructed the department in charge to set up a third-party investigative body. Then, on the 13th, the governor again announced that he was considering the establishment of a third-party investigative body as soon as possible, but said, "It is important for the prefectural government to thoroughly investigate the matter before sending it to a third-party committee," and emphasized the investigation among the parties involved before entrusting it to a third-party committee. Doubts arise that there may be some kind of internal coordination between the parties involved.

After the whistleblower, the local media has continued to report on the allegations after the first report by the Kuma Nipponichi Shimbun. On the other hand, TV Kumamoto (TKU), the parent company of TKU Human, reported for the first time on the 13th. However, the editorial department of the official TV Kumamoto website Kumamoto News When I checked, I found that the broadcast video was not released. When the editorial department contacted TV Kumamoto, the report was explained that "we waited for the official governor's press conference and it was the 13th." It was also explained that "communication did not go well because the method of contacting the whistleblower was limited to e-mail (*)." In addition, we heard that the broadcast video was "postponed this time because there is a possibility that the comment section of the external media to which it will be distributed may be rough."

From 2016~2018, TV Kumamoto donated a total of 100 million yen to Kumamoto Prefecture as a cultural property reconstruction fund to cover the repair costs of Kumamoto Castle.

On the 19th, the editorial department asked the person in charge of the TKU Human Travel Department about this allegation. The person in charge said, "The relevant travel products were sold after confirmation by the prefectural government and the secretariat (JTB) in advance, but we cannot comment on anything further until the results of the investigation by Kumamoto Prefecture are released."

Regarding the progress and results announced by Governor Kamazawa on the 13th regarding the investigation and conclusion of the prefectural office and the establishment and investigation of a third-party investigation agency, we are waiting for an immediate explanation from the governor in the future.

Nationwide travel support projects for which each prefecture is responsible for implementing

The "National Travel Support" is a subsidy project that utilizes the budget of 1.3238 trillion yen allocated by the Japan Tourism Agency for the "New GoTo Travel Project". This project was launched in each prefecture in October 2022 and is still ongoing in some areas. The responsibility for implementation is entrusted to each prefecture, which conducts examinations, summarizes the results, and reports the results to the Japan Tourism Agency. "The reporting method from the prefectures is being adjusted, and the Japan Tourism Agency is not involved because it is left to each prefecture to take measures such as fraudulent activities," said the Japan Tourism Agency's Industry Division.

In the future, as each prefecture proceeds with the examination of the project, there is a possibility that fraud will be discovered. It is a project that involves a huge budget, and it is necessary to ensure fair operation, and each prefecture is required to conduct a strict examination.