Key Facts
• April 2025: Yasunobu Kumagai elected as Tome City Mayor, pledging to cancel the complex facility plan.
• 2025 initial budget: ¥765 million allocated for the regional exchange center project.
• June 2025: Mayor Kumagai submits a supplementary budget to reduce related expenses.
• June 26, 2025: City council debates the supplementary budget; motion to remove the reduction proposed.
• June 27, 2025: Council to vote on the motion to restore the original budget.
• Mayor Kumagai cites rising costs and financial burden as reasons for halting the project.
• Councilor Masahiro Iwabuchi argues for maintaining the original budget to proceed with the project.
Summary
In Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, a conflict has escalated between Mayor Yasunobu Kumagai and the city council over the mayor’s pledge to cancel a planned regional exchange center. The project, initially budgeted at ¥765 million for 2025, was halted by the mayor due to concerns over rising costs and financial strain. In response, the city council proposed a motion to restore the original budget, arguing that the reduction is unjustified. The motion will be voted on June 27, 2025. This dispute highlights the tension between fiscal responsibility and project continuity in local governance.
