Sendai Mayor Kazuko Kuwako has defended 11 overseas trips to seven countries over three years that cost a combined ¥66 million, after some city assembly members questioned whether the spending was too high. At a news conference on November 4, Kuwako, 69, pointed to the Pokémon Go event the trips helped bring to the city.
The trips included Paris and Bangkok. Kuwako said face-to-face contact is what sustains sister-city relationships, and that a visit to San Francisco led to the smartphone game's festival being held in Sendai.
“During the overseas trip in Reiwa 5, an exchange of views with people working on the Pokémon business led to the Pokémon Go Fest being held the year before last.”Kuwako said at the news conference
The city began publishing the cost of past overseas trips on its website on October 23, itemized down to the yen, to make official travel more transparent and easier to understand, it said.
Business-class fares disclosed
The published figures show round-trip business-class fares of ¥1.28 million on the Paris trip the year before last and ¥1.4 million on the New York trip three years ago. Kuwako said the cabin is needed to study materials for international conference presentations and for security reasons.
“I go through documents such as those for presentations at international conferences carefully. From a security standpoint as well, I think there is a need for it.”Kuwako said of flying business class
She is due to visit California this month and said the breakdown of that trip's costs will be published promptly after she returns.