Toyama City census population inflation investigation

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications filed a criminal complaint with the Toyama Prefectural Police against several Toyama City officials for suspected violations of the Statistics Act. The officials are accused of inflating the city’s population by at least 2,000 people during the 2025 national census by allegedly treating non-existent households as residents or tampering with physical survey forms.

As a result of the investigation, Toyama City’s confirmed population was revised downward to 399,197, falling below the 400,000 threshold for the first time since municipal mergers. This discrepancy follows a preliminary figure of 402,133.

Internal Affairs Minister Hisayuki Fujii expressed deep regret over the allegations. The inflation is expected to have impacted the calculation of local allocation tax grants. Toyama Mayor Hirohisa Fujii issued a formal apology, stating the motive for the inflation remains unclear, and committed to an organizational review. The Mayor also noted the city will scrutinize excess funds received and is prepared to comply if the Ministry requests a refund.

Following the criminal complaint, police raided Toyama City Hall on a Saturday to investigate suspicions that officials altered records by changing the status of households initially marked as vacant. Estimates suggest the city may have received approximately 60 million yen (roughly 378,000 USD) more than its rightful share due to the discrepancy. While Mayor Fujii stated the city would cooperate with the investigation, he 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.