Town hall policy meetings cost millions

The government disbursed some 16 million yen, or the equivalent of some 67,000 yen per participant, for a town hall meeting with voters in Naha, Okinawa, in October 2005 to discuss judicial reform, according to documents released Tuesday.

Compiled by the Cabinet Office, the documents show the government spent another 12 million yen, or the equivalent of 56,000 yen per participant, for a similar session on judicial reform in the city of Miyazaki last March.

The Naha meeting had 242 participants, while 212 took part in the Miyazaki forum. It's not clear if or how many meeting participants may have been paid for their attendance.

In both sessions, the government sent an excessive number of staff and used larger halls -- with seating capacity for 500 -- than required for the number of participants, the documents show.

The government has been accused of trying to manipulate debate at several public meetings nationwide by having plants speak up in support of its policies, including planned reforms of the education system.

The town hall meetings have been suspended since it was revealed that the government got people to speak out in favor of the proposed revision of the basic education law that will attempt to foster a sense of patriotism in the classroom.

It was reported Nov. 23 that board of education officials were among the 100 government plants at a 2004 meeting in Ehime Prefecture focused on education reform.

The costs for the Naha and Miyazaki sessions were much higher than the seven town hall meetings on education reform held between 2003 and 2005, with 2,721 people attending, on which the government spent some 67 million yen, or 25,000 yen per participant.

The government has so far held four public meetings on judicial reform -- in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in April 2005, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, in June 2005, in Naha in October 2005, and in Miyazaki last March.

The Naha session took up reform of the criminal trial system, featuring the introduction of lay judges starting in 2009.

Then Justice Minister Chieko Nono was one of three panelists. The government prepared a large guest room with seating capacity of 30 for the three panelists and deployed 81 employees to the venue.

The 16 million yen in costs for the Naha session included 3 million yen for the venue, 1.2 million yen for personnel and 1.9 million yen for assembling speakers.