Toyama officials investigated for allegedly inflating census population figures

Japanese authorities are investigating officials in the central region city of Toyama for allegedly inflating census population figures. Following a criminal complaint by the central government, police raided the Toyama city hall on Saturday regarding suspicions that more than 2,000 residents were falsely added to the population count.

Census data is used to determine the allocation of central government funding. Estimates suggest Toyama may have received approximately 60 million yen (roughly 378,000 USD) more than its rightful share due to the discrepancy. Preliminary investigations indicate that officials may have altered records by changing the status of households that census takers had initially marked as vacant.

Toyama Mayor Hirohisa Fujii stated that the city government would cooperate with the investigation but denied that high-ranking officials issued orders to inflate the numbers. Under Japanese law, individuals found guilty of falsifying statistical data face fines or up to six months in prison. The incident comes amid a broader national trend of rapid population decline and aging in Japan.