Awa Mayor Among Three Held in Japan Over Alleged Fraud

Police in western Japan’s Tokushima Prefecture have arrested Hisato Machida, the 69-year-old mayor of Awa city, and two other men on suspicion of fraud linked to a city construction contract, Jiji Press reported on Tuesday (Nov 10). The Awa mayor arrested with the two men is suspected of inflating the cost of works ordered by the city.

The other two suspects are Kenichi Matsuda, 42, an Awa city official, and Minoru Dohi, 53, a company employee, according to the report.

Awa mayor arrested over inflated contract

Tokushima prefectural police suspect the three of fraudulently obtaining 3.5 million yen from the city by inflating the cost of construction works it had ordered.

The case involves a cable network project with a private company. The city signed a contract with the company for works to replace related equipment, with a total cost of 74.25 million yen.

According to the report, the 3.5 million yen in question was the cost of repairs for a traffic accident caused by Machida, which was included in the contract.

The three allegedly conspired in May 2024 to defraud the city, and the money was obtained in April 2025, police suspect.

Long career in local government

Machida joined the former Awa town government in 1976, before the town merged with other municipalities to form the current city of Awa, Jiji Press said. He later served as head of the finance division and as deputy mayor, and was first elected mayor in 2023.

The report did not say whether the three suspects have admitted or denied the allegations.

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