Fukuoka assembly posts sold for cash: two LDP members confess
Fukuoka assemblymen Yoshimatsu and Eto admitted paying 27.5 million yen in cash to LDP bosses to obtain the assembly's top two leadership posts.
One lawmaker had to borrow money from a friend just to pay for the public office he was elected to hold. Another wrote a check — in cash — of 5 million yen to party bosses before he could sit as vice-chairman. Together, Fukuoka assemblymen Motoaki Yoshimatsu and Hideyuki Eto paid 27.5 million yen to Liberal Democratic Party executives for positions that were supposed to represent the residents of Fukuoka Prefecture, not be auctioned within a party power structure.
🔹 What happened: On July 5, TV Nishi Nippon reported that Yoshimatsu, who became assembly chairman in June 2020, was pressured by LDP assemblyman Kensei Haraguchi to pay roughly 20 million yen upon taking the post. The money was described as covering the cost of inter-factional golf events, though no public accounting of those funds has been presented. Yoshimatsu borrowed the amount from a personal contact and secretly recorded part of the demand. The audio captures a voice describing a "Masters" golf tournament with other factions and warning it would cost "a lot of money." Assembly Chairman Kurauchi, nicknamed the "Don of the Prefectural Assembly," was identified as the authority behind the arrangement. Eto, the former vice-chairman, confirmed paying 5 million yen, stating plainly: "I definitely did it." Haraguchi denied any involvement.
🔹 Why it matters: The citizens of Fukuoka had no knowledge that the men chairing their prefectural assembly had purchased their positions. Yoshimatsu was personally indebted because of a role that should have carried no financial precondition. If this arrangement operated across multiple terms or involved additional legislators, the scale of the problem may exceed what has been disclosed so far. The audio evidence substantially raises the bar for any attempt to bury the case through denial alone. Fukuoka residents deserve a full accounting of who knew, who benefited, and whether the funds paid by Yoshimatsu and Eto were ever used for the stated purposes.
📌 EPM Take: Eto's unambiguous confession and Yoshimatsu's recording shift the burden entirely onto prosecutors. Allowing Haraguchi's denial to stand without formal investigation would signal that documented cash-for-posts schemes carry no legal consequence in Fukuoka.
✍️ EPM Editorial Desk | erickprometeomedia.com
Escándalo en Fukuoka: cargos públicos vendidos en efectivo dentro del PLD
Los legisladores Yoshimatsu y Eto de Fukuoka confesaron haber pagado en conjunto 27.5 millones de yenes a jefes del PLD para obtener los cargos de presidente y…
Un legislador endeudado con un amigo para pagar 20 millones de yenes. Otro que desembolsó 5 millones más. Ambos, funcionarios electos de Fukuoka que admiten haber comprado sus propios cargos dentro de la Asamblea Prefectural al pagar en efectivo a jefes del Partido Liberal Democrático. Lo que revelan sus testimonios no es solo corrupción individual: es la descripción de un sistema donde el acceso al poder se cotiza en yenes y se negocia en canchas de golf.
🔹 Lo que pasó: Motoaki Yoshimatsu, presidente de la asamblea desde junio de 2020, declaró el 5 de julio ante TV Nishi Nippon haber sido presionado por el legislador Kensei Haraguchi para entregar cerca de 20 millones de yenes al asumir el cargo. Los fondos se justificaron como pago por eventos de golf interfaccional. Yoshimatsu tuvo que pedir prestado el dinero a un conocido y grabó en secreto parte del intercambio. El audio capta una voz describiendo un torneo "Masters" con otras facciones y advirtiendo que costaría "mucho dinero." Hideyuki Eto, quien ejerció como vicepresidente en el mismo período, confirmó haber pagado 5 millones de yenes. La figura de mayor poder en el fondo del esquema es el presidente Kurauchi, apodado el "Don de la Asamblea." Haraguchi negó todo.
🔹 Por qué importa: Para los contribuyentes de Fukuoka, este esquema implica que los cargos más influyentes de su asamblea local no se asignaron por mérito o mandato democrático, sino por capacidad de pago. Yoshimatsu llegó a endeudarse personalmente para acceder a un puesto público que debía ser de representación ciudadana. Si el sistema de "cash for posts" operó durante años sin consecuencias, otros legisladores de la prefectura podrían estar igualmente comprometidos. La grabación de audio eleva considerablemente el umbral probatorio y hace más difícil que las autoridades eludan una investigación formal. Los ciudadanos de Fukuoka merecen saber cuántos de sus representantes llegaron al cargo por la misma vía.
📌 Conclusión EPM: El testimonio de Eto —"definitivamente lo hice"— junto con la grabación de Yoshimatsu deja poco margen para la duda. La fiscalía japonesa debe abrir una investigación formal que no dependa de si Haraguchi decide mantener su negativa.
✍️ EPM Editorial Desk | erickprometeomedia.com
