According to a report on the Japanese “Yomiuri Shimbun” website on August 3, Matsuo Noriaki, the largest party group in the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly, held a political fundraising rally on the night of the Kumamoto earthquake on July 28, during which he made remarks such as “I am very happy I did this.” In response to questions from reporters on August 3, he said, “I am aware that this kind of statement is very disrespectful to the suffering disaster victims,” and stated that he will resign as chairman. But he denied that he would resign as a member of parliament, saying “I still have a responsibility to explain.” This political fundraising event, called the “Matsuo Tojo Beer Party,” was held at a hotel in Kitakyushu. It was nominally a prefectural government work briefing session and opinion exchange meeting, providing food, including alcohol. The fee was 15,000 yen per person, and a total of 500 to 600 people attended.

According to a report on the Japanese “Yomiuri Shimbun” website on August 3, Matsuo Noriaki, the largest party group in the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly, held a political fundraising rally on the night of the Kumamoto earthquake on July 28, during which he made remarks such as “I am very happy I did this.” In response to questions from reporters on August 3, he said, “I am aware that this kind of statement is very disrespectful to the suffering disaster victims,” and stated that he will resign as chairman. But he denied that he would resign as a member of parliament, saying “I still have a responsibility to explain.” This political fundraising event, called the “Matsuo Tojo Beer Party,” was held at a hotel in Kitakyushu. It was nominally a prefectural government work briefing session and opinion exchange meeting, providing food, including alcohol. The fee was 15,000 yen per person, and a total of 500 to 600 people attended.