Beppu City said on February 9 that municipal staff mistakenly disposed of rice vouchers worth about ¥4.2 million that were intended for a cost-of-living support program. The roughly 10,000 vouchers were leftovers from an assistance initiative carried out between October and December 2025. After the program ended, the vouchers were removed from a safe for refund processing but were not returned and instead stored in a cardboard box. The box was later discarded with other waste and incinerated before the loss was discovered. Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano apologized, citing improper administrative handling. To cover the loss, salary cuts will be imposed on the mayor and deputy mayors, with remaining costs covered through voluntary donations by senior officials. Source: OBS
Photo: Zenbeihan
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