Key Facts
• August 13, 2025: Ito City Mayor Maki Takubo attended the investigative committee for the first time.
• Takubo denied allegations of briefly showing her diploma, claiming it was displayed for 19.2 seconds.
• The mayor stated she used a stopwatch to measure the display time.
• City council members argued the diploma was shown briefly twice and questioned its authenticity.
• Takubo admitted she had never seen an official diploma from Toyo University.
• Toyo University confirmed the diploma in question was forged.
• Takubo also reviewed a graduation album for over three minutes but could not confirm its origin.
• Despite repeated requests, Takubo refused to submit the diploma for verification.
• The mayor claimed her exclusion from Toyo University was due to personal reasons, not graduation.
• The council criticized Takubo for evasive answers and alleged distortion of facts.
Summary
Ito City Mayor Maki Takubo, under suspicion of academic fraud, attended the investigative committee on August 13, 2025, after previous refusals. She denied allegations of briefly showing her diploma, asserting it was displayed for 19.2 seconds, a claim supported by her stopwatch records. However, city council members disputed this, stating the diploma was briefly shown twice and questioning its authenticity. Toyo University confirmed the diploma was forged, and Takubo admitted she had never seen an official diploma from the university. Despite reviewing a graduation album for over three minutes, she could not confirm its origin. Takubo refused to submit the diploma for verification, citing memory lapses about its acquisition. The council criticized her for evasive responses and alleged fact distortion. The controversy remains unresolved.
