Japan Press Weekly

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2023 April 19 - 25 [POLITICS]

Municipal gov’ts increase their savings to 16 trillion yen while cutting public services that people need

Many municipal governments have turned their back to residents’ calls for improving public services in welfare and education on the pretext of financial problems. However, Akahata on April 19 reported that the Internal Affairs Ministry data shows that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, municipal governments, including major city governments, in FY 2021 increased their savings to over 16 trillion yen, up 465.3 billion yen from the 2019 level.

For example, in Tokyo, all 23 wards even during the pandemic amassed reserves. In 2021, the amount of their reserve funds went up to about 2.26 trillion yen, 237,000 yen per capita and up 162.5 billion yen from 2019.

Among the 23 wards, the Edogawa Ward government has the largest reserves of 217.9 billion yen. The ward government has further hoarded its savings for the past decade while abolishing and suspending the offering of 216 public service programs, such as a program providing subsidies to parents to cover school lunch fees.

The Japanese Communist Party Edogawa Ward Assemblymembers’ group has been urging the ward government to use 2% of the 217.9 billion yen in reserves to implement measures aimed at improving people’s livelihoods, including introducing a free school lunch program.