Shaking Kumamoto Tourism Prefectural Government|Governor Rejects Whistleblower's Request to Cancel Internal Investigation

In early September 2023, a whistleblower was reported in Kumamoto Prefecture's nationwide travel support project regarding allegations of fraudulent receipt of subsidies and fraudulent cover-ups by prefectural officials. On the morning of the 16th, the whistleblower requested that the internal investigation of the prefecture be canceled by Governor Kamazawa, but in the afternoon of the same day, the governor rejected the request and emphasized that the internal investigation would continue.

This doubt On the 7th of this month, at the Prefectural Press Club Public Welfare Bulletin There was a suspicion that a Kumamoto TV subsidiary, TKU Human, illegally received a subsidy of 20 million yen for the sale of travel products, and that Kumamoto Prefecture executives hid the fraud. After that, on the 12th, Governor Kamazawa announced the establishment of a third-party investigation body, and the next day he indicated that he would conduct an investigation within the prefecture and then an investigation by a third-party investigation agency. Currently, no third-party investigative body has been established.

A lawyer representing the whistleblower said the investigation could distort the facts and asked for it to be stopped. On the other hand, the governor explained, "It is not possible to investigate the internal affairs of the prefectural office without the involvement of the prefectural government," and indicated that he would continue the internal investigation of the prefecture.

From FY2016 to FY2019, TV Kumamoto, the parent company of TKU Human, provided a total of 100 million yen to the prefecture for repairs to Kumamoto Castle. Attached We did. In December 2019, Governor Kamashima participated in an event hosted by TV Kumamoto, touched on the Kumamoto earthquake, and said, "There is no party more fun than TKU's New Year's Gratitude Party," according to local media "Kumamoto Keizai" introduction It has been.

The National Travel Support Project is a national project operated by prefectural governments with a budget allocated by the national government as a new GoTo Travel project. The person in charge of the Japan Tourism Agency says, "I know about Kumamoto, but it is carried out under the responsibility of the prefecture, and there is no national survey (unlike GoTo)." Investigations within Kumamoto Prefecture and the establishment of a third-party investigative body are awaited to clarify the suspicions.