Mie Prefecture Suzuka city councilor indicted on fraud charges, allegedly stealing 190 million yen from childcare business

On the 27th, the Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department announced at the Suzuka City Council in Mie Prefecture that it had indicted Tsuneaki Kiryu (34), representative of a nursery school establishment company, on charges of fraud for defrauding him of approximately 190 million yen in subsidies for a daycare business. It has not been made clear whether he approves or disapproves.

According to the Special Investigation Department, CEO Kiryu is said to have falsely reported the opening hours and number of days the nursery school was set up by the corporation he is the representative of from January 2022 to December 2025, and defrauded the Tokyo-based Child Development Association of a total of approximately 190 million yen between fiscal 2022 and December 2025 in subsidies for corporate-led childcare projects. The facility was actually open for less than 11 hours, five days a week, but falsely said it was open 13 hours, six days a week.

His wife, Masako (32), an office worker at a nursery school in Suzuka City, was also indicted on fraud charges for colluding with Kiryu's representative regarding the 2024-25 fiscal year. The district attorney's office has not disclosed whether Clerk Masako was approved or not.

According to the prefecture and Suzuka City, Konohana Nursery School (3-chome Minamiasahigaoka in the city), which Kiryu is involved with, has been closed since around August. According to the city, Representative Kiryu was first elected in the 2019 municipal election and is currently in his second term. He submitted his resignation to the chairman on the 26th of this month, citing ``personal reasons''.