Mayor Ono proposes a salary reduction for himself

 On the 23rd, the Yatsushiro City Council in Kumamoto Prefecture approved an ordinance to cut Mayor Taisuke Ono’s salary by 50% for four months, following his citation for driving 152 km/h on an expressway. Ono initially planned a two‑month reduction but extended it to four months in response to strong criticism. The cut applies from April to July.

On December 18 last year, Ono was caught driving 52 km/h over the 100 km/h speed limit on the Kyushu Expressway. He received a 90‑day license suspension and an 80,000‑yen fine.

During the council session, members criticized his actions, calling them:

  • “Reckless behavior that could have cost lives,”

  • “An attempt to hide the incident for three months,”

  • “A failure of leadership,” while others noted that he at least took responsibility through explanation and penalty. The ordinance passed by majority vote.

According to the city, the mayor’s monthly salary of 925,000 yen will be reduced to 462,500 yen during the four‑month period. Ono has already paid the fine and completed one of the two required license‑reinstatement courses, with the second scheduled for mid‑April.

Since the incident became public, the city received 105 calls and emails by 5 p.m. on the 23rd. The most common opinion was “He should resign” (31 messages), followed by 16 messages of support.