Local News

A survey by the Nishinippon Shimbun revealed that the aggregate amount of unused allowances for political research provided to politicians in the seven prefectural assemblies and the cities of Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu in FY 2010 rose 211.15 million yen, or 10.57%, from the previous year. The amount returned by each of the nine local governments exceeded the previous year’s total, and in six prefectures was the highest amount returned in 10 years. This is thought to be the result of greater scrutiny of expenditures, which were often used for personal entertainment rather than research.