🏛️ Concern Regarding Abuse of Public Election Funds in Japan Funds for Private Profit (Case of Takashi Tachibana and “Takashi Tachibana Hitori Broadcasting Station, Inc.”)
“This is not only a domestic concern, but also a matter of international democratic integrity.”
Dear Sir/Madam,
As a citizen, I wish to raise a concern regarding the misuse of public election funds and their conversion into private profit.
In the case of politician Takashi Tachibana, his election activities funded by public money have, in practice, contributed to the increase of subscribers and viewers on his personal YouTube channel.
The resulting revenue is then linked directly to his private company, “Takashi Tachibana Hitori Broadcasting Station, Inc.”
This structure effectively allows public funds—taxpayers’ money—to be diverted into the profit of a private enterprise, undermining both public trust and the fairness of the electoral system.
Furthermore, election campaign speeches should be limited strictly to presenting policies and commitments relevant to the voters of the constituency.
However, in practice, such speeches are often used to attack unrelated individuals or to introduce topics unconnected to local governance. This deprives the targeted individuals of any chance to respond and imposes irrelevant, disruptive discourse upon local residents.
In the United States, those considered “successful” are individuals who develop products and services that bring value and happiness to society, thereby generating wealth. By contrast, exploiting a public system to enrich one’s own company, as in Tachibana’s case, stands in direct opposition to these principles.
I respectfully request that the government review measures to:
Ensure proper use of public funds in election campaigns.
Establish a clear separation between public resources and private profit.
Prevent public campaign funding from flowing into private companies such as Takashi Tachibana Hitori Broadcasting Station, Inc.
Legally require that campaign speech content be limited to policies and promises relevant to the voters of the constituency.
It is essential that taxpayers’ money is used to support democracy, not diverted into private business gain.
Sincerely,
ASADA Misuzu