Overview
- The Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly, which voted on Thursday, October 1, approved two censure motions by majority against Taisuke Hayashi.
- Reporters and assembly records show Hayashi used an anonymous X account named “みみず屋さん” to post repeated attacking messages that referenced an alleged money transfer dispute linked to speaker and deputy-speaker posts, and that the account has since been deleted.
- One censure motion was filed by Genaki Yoshimatsu and a second, nearly identical motion was led by the LDP prefectural caucus, an unusual case of parallel proposals inside the assembly.
- Hayashi submitted a request to leave the LDP prefectural caucus, which was accepted, he apologized to reporters saying he would reflect on his conduct, and the resolutions demand apologies but carry no legal force.
- Censure in Japanese local assemblies is a formal rebuke without legal penalties, so the main effects are reputational and political, and the episode raises questions about anonymous social media use, intra-party discipline, and whether the underlying payments allegations will prompt further inquiry.