Local News

Families of patients and others opposed to the pending move of the Fukuoka Children’s Hospital and Medical Center for Infectious Diseases from its current location in Chuo Ward to “Island City”, a man-made island in Higashi Ward, formed a citizen’s group opposed to the plan and collected enough signatures on a petition to call for a citizen’s referendum on the issue. They presented the petition to Mayor Wataru Aso, who said he thought it wasn’t necessary, but left it in the hands of the City Council. The City Council voted down the proposed referendum by a 50-12 margin. One of those council members who voted against the referendum said, “We’ve debated that issue for a long time here. Holding a citizen’s referendum would be contemptuous of the Council.”