"1.54 Million Won for One Sushi Meal": Ward Assembly Member Boasts on Social Media, Refuses to Apologize, Saying "No Taxpayer Money Was Wasted"... Japan Outraged

Paid 180,000 yen at an upscale sushi restaurant with his wife
"I paid with my own money"... refuses to apologize

A Japanese ward assembly member is facing a backlash after posting on social media that he and his wife spent more than 1.5 million won on a sushi meal. As steep price increases put growing pressure on household budgets, critics have said that the spending habits of a public official are out of touch with ordinary residents. The assembly member, however, maintains that he has no reason to apologize because he paid with his own money, not public funds.

An AI-generated image to help readers understand the article; it is not directly related to the article. ChatGPT

According to Japanese media outlet Abema Times on Nov. 8, Yasushi Watanabe, a member of the Shinjuku Ward Assembly in Tokyo, recently posted the bill from a meal at a high-end sushi restaurant on X (formerly Twitter). He and his wife paid 180,000 yen, equivalent to about 1.54 million won.

In the post, Watanabe said, "Five years ago, the two of us paid 10,000 yen (about 860,000 won), but because of the bubble in sushi prices and rising prices, the bill has gone up every time we visit, and now the two of us have to pay 180,000 yen." He added, "It has gone up by about 40,000 yen (about 340,000 won) in just two years." Although he intended to highlight the severity of soaring prices, public attention focused less on inflation than on the wealth of a politician spending 1.54 million won on a single meal.

"Out of touch with ordinary people"...Wave of criticism

As the post spread, people online criticized his spending habits. Some said, "Is it acceptable for a politician to waste this much money?" and "He is completely out of touch with ordinary people."

Others countered that it was excessive to criticize him for having a meal with his own money. Some argued, "It's just jealousy," and "It's his personal freedom to spend his own money on luxury."

As the controversy grew, Watanabe defended his social media activity, saying it was no different from usual. He explained that he had regularly posted restaurant recommendations since about 10 years before becoming an assembly member, and had featured not only high-end restaurants but also 1,000-yen set meal restaurants and soba shops.

"It was paid for with my salary, not public funds. I have no intention of apologizing."

Watanabe also made clear that he had no intention of apologizing for the controversy. On Nov. 9, he said on X that the sushi meal controversy had been covered on TV and shared his thoughts on footage of him giving a street speech that had aired. He added, "If you have something to say, please come and meet me in person."

He also said he did not believe he had done anything to apologize for to the 2,633 Shinjuku Ward residents who voted for him. He argued that the meal had been paid for with his and his wife's salaries, not with political activity expenses or political funds, and therefore had not increased the tax burden on residents.

He also rejected claims that his conduct was unbecoming of an assembly member. Saying that he had neither used his position to make an unreasonable reservation nor dined in an inappropriate manner, he stressed, "There is nothing wrong with my conduct." He added that he did not regret posting about the meal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.