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Kagoshima City Councilor Koichi Irifune Resigns Over Joint Cemetery Grass-Cutting Issue

English translation of the Japanese article.

Koichi Irifune (81), a member of the Kagoshima City Council, resigned on October 9, 2026, over the issue of city employees cutting grass at a joint cemetery where his ancestors are buried during working hours, with public funds also used. The problem spanned four years from 2022 to 2025, involving about 90 city employees in total, and 625,900 yen of public money was spent as outsourcing fees to external contractors. Irifune acknowledged violating the political ethics ordinance and apologized. [2] [3] [6]

Background and Details of the Issue

The issue began in 2022 when Koichi Irifune requested the then head of the Kagoshima City Environmental Sanitation Division to have city employees cut grass at the Chinenji joint cemetery located in Shimoishiki, Kagoshima City. Initially, the division head refused the request, but after consultation with superiors, it was decided that city employees would perform the grass-cutting work during working hours every year before the Obon festival from 2022 to 2025. It has been confirmed that approximately 90 employees were involved over the three years from 2023 to 2025 alone. [2] [3] [6]

Public Fund Expenditure and Reimbursement

Some of the grass-cutting work could not be handled solely by city employees and was outsourced to external contractors. As a result, a total of 625,900 yen of public funds was spent between 2022 and 2024. The then Environmental Sanitation Division head falsely represented the joint cemetery as city-owned land and paid taxes as contractor fees. These costs have already been reimbursed by the cemetery management association, but personnel costs for city employees and fuel expenses for official vehicles were incurred separately. Kagoshima City is considering filing a claim for damages. [2] [3] [5] [6]

Recognition of Political Ethics Violation and Resignation Process

On October 9, 2026, at the Kagoshima City Council's Steering Committee meeting, Irifune admitted that his request, made in his capacity as a councilor, affected the fair execution of city employees' duties and violated the political ethics ordinance. Although he initially did not intend to resign, following the mayor's consideration of a damage claim and indications from city authorities of possible improper demands and power harassment, he decided to take responsibility and submitted his resignation, which took effect the same day. [2] [3] [5] [6]

City Authorities' Viewpoint and Future Challenges

Kagoshima City authorities pointed out that Irifune's request may constitute improper demands or power harassment and stated that a final decision will be made after consulting experts. They also raised concerns about why the city treated a joint cemetery not managed by the city as city-owned land and spent public funds accordingly, highlighting insufficient internal administrative checks. Multiple council factions have called for continued investigation after Irifune's resignation, demanding thorough examination including administrative responsibility. [2] [3] [5] [6]

Reactions and Evaluations from Related Parties

Hiroshi Moriyama, chairman of the Kagoshima Prefectural Federation of the Liberal Democratic Party, praised Irifune's resignation as "a commendable decision showing political accountability." Meanwhile, other council factions expressed that the issue should not end with the resignation alone. For the restoration of trust among citizens and the council, clarifying the full details of the issue and considering measures to prevent recurrence are deemed important. [1] [4] [6]

Sources and references

This English edition was translated and reviewed using AI against the Japanese original and cited sources. Source titles remain in their original language.

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