Police arrested Awa Mayor Hisato Machida, 69, on suspicion of fraud on the 12th, and Deputy Mayor Manabu Yasumaru apologized at a news conference that turned into repeated clashes with a reporter, ABEMA Times reported.
Machida took office in April 2023 and is in his first term. He is suspected of padding a cable television network replacement contract the city signed with a private company.
Investigators allege he added ¥3.5 million in repair costs from a traffic accident he caused in September 2023 to the bill and took the money. Police have declined to comment on whether the three people involved admit or deny the allegations.
Yasumaru opened the conference with an apology. "We have lost public trust in the administration and caused enormous trouble and worry to the people of this city," he said. "I apologize from the bottom of my heart."
"I just read out what you said"
The exchange began when the city side repeatedly said it wanted to watch over the police investigation. A reporter challenged that wording. "It is quite strange for the person who caused this to say he will watch over the investigation," the reporter said.
The reporter then quoted Yasumaru's own remarks from earlier in the conference. The deputy mayor had said the city recognized there might be other matters with criminal implications beyond the replacement work.
Asked whether the city acknowledged that other criminal matters existed, Yasumaru said: "I do not know. Of course I do not know." He then said he had not admitted anything of the sort.
"This is not to say I acknowledge it," he said. "It is that the possibility cannot be entirely ruled out for other replacement work and other construction as well." He added that his wish was for this scandal to be the first and the last.
When the reporter asked whether his earlier remarks had been a mistake, Yasumaru pointed at the reporter and checked which outlet he worked for. "Even if it is taken that way," he said, "that is not my intention."
The reporter replied that he had not seized on a turn of phrase but had read out exactly what the deputy mayor said. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," Yasumaru answered. "That is why I say it is not my intention. I have just explained it, haven't I?"
An on-air correction
The two talked over each other again. Yasumaru said the reporter had taken his words a certain way. The reporter cut in, saying the deputy mayor's statements at the conference would be reported and widely known.
"If you did not say something, you need to say you did not say it," the reporter said. "I read out exactly the wording you used, so if it is different, please say it is different."
Yasumaru began to say that since it had been taken that way, he would correct it. The reporter cut in again. Holding up a hand, the deputy mayor finished the sentence and retracted the remark.
"Since it has been taken that way, I would like to correct it," he said. "I do not know whether I did not say enough or said it badly, but I would like to correct it."
The moderator tried to move on, saying some reporters had not yet had a chance to ask a question. The reporter asked to continue, calling the point very important.
Yasumaru checked the reporter's outlet again and warned him he was asking exclusively. The reporter turned to the other journalists in the room.
"Can I take it that no other company is at all interested in my question?" he asked. "Then I will stop." Yasumaru told him to ask them. The reporter put it to the room: "What do you think? Stop? Continue?" After a pause he said, "They say continue," and resumed.