<figure id="attachment_216388" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-216388"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="16472d95"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/11/2021112210216.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-216388" class="wp-caption-text">At the apology conference on November 9, she wore a flashy red dress, but on November 22, she wore a dark blue jacket (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
 Despite her request for a press conference, Tomiko Kinoshita, 55, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, showed up about four minutes late.
 This was when she announced her resignation on November 22 (her letter of resignation, addressed to the chairperson, was accepted on the same day). When he was asked by reporters about the background of his resignation, the words that came out of his mouth were words of dissatisfaction.
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 When asked by reporters about the background to his resignation, he expressed his dissatisfaction: &#8220;I came to the office on November 9, but the (public enterprise) committee meeting I was scheduled to attend was not held. I was troubled by the unreasonable reality that I was not allowed to do my job well as a councilor.&#8221;
 In response to Mr. Kinoshita&#8217;s comments, the Internet erupted into a firestorm of &#8220;backhandedness,&#8221; &#8220;self-first,&#8221; and &#8220;putting the accident on the shelf and holding a grudge.
 What is being called into question is the unlicensed driving and hit-and-run accident that Mr. Kinoshita caused. The trouble occurred just before the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election (to be held on July 4th this year), just after 7:00 in the morning on the 2nd.
 At an intersection in Takashimadaira, Tokyo, a car following Mr. Kinoshita&#8217;s car honked its horn because his car was not moving fast enough. Suddenly, Mr. Kinoshita backed his car up and collided with the car behind him. He fled the scene at high speed.
 The man driving the following car and the wife of the passenger sustained minor injuries, but they were able to catch up with Mr. Kinoshita&#8217;s car about 200 meters away, according to media reports. Mr. Kinoshita&#8217;s driver&#8217;s license was suspended.
 Mr. Kinoshita did not disclose the accident to the public and was re-elected in Itabashi Ward. The accident came to light in the press the following day, the 5th. Mr. Kinoshita released comments saying, &#8220;It was not a serious accident&#8221; and &#8220;My license was suspended around February, but I mistakenly thought that the suspension period had ended on the day of the accident.
<h2>Three months&#8217; worth of compensation will be donated, but &#8230;&#8230;</h2>
 The Metropolitan Police Department sent Mr. Kinoshita to the prosecutor&#8217;s office in September on suspicion of violating the Automobile Accident Compensation Act and the Road Traffic Act. In addition, analysis of security cameras revealed that Mr. Kinoshita had been driving without a license six other times between May and June.
 After the accident, Mr. Kinoshita did not appear at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office and went into hiding. In July and September, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly decided to expel him from the Tokyo Citizens First Association, to which he belonged. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly voted to recommend his resignation twice, in July and September. Three summonses were issued in the name of the chairman of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, but Mr. Kinoshita only posted a letter of apology on his official website and did not directly explain his actions.
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 It was not until November 9, four months after the accident, that Mr. Kinoshita finally arrived at the office. He was interviewed by the press for about 10 minutes wearing a red dress and a luxury watch. He talked about his achievements as a politician, denied that he had resigned from the Diet, and said
 He denied that he would resign from the Diet and said, &#8220;I take it (the resolution to resign) very seriously. However, it is also true that there are people who would like me to continue. It will be a tough road to recover the lost trust, but I would like to respond to it through my activities as a member of the Diet.
 The situation changed on November 21. On November 21, Governor Yuriko Koike, a special advisor to Tokyo Citizens First, said, &#8220;I am not a person who does not understand the current situation. I am convinced that she will make the right decision on her own. The next day, Mr. Kinoshita was summoned by Governor Koike.
 The next day, Mr. Kinoshita was summoned by Governor Koike. I met with him for about 20 minutes at the governor&#8217;s office after 2:00 p.m. Governor Koike spoke to him as follows. Mr. Kinoshita&#8217;s mind was made up, and he said, &#8216;Why don&#8217;t you step back and concentrate on solving the accident? I heard that Mr. Kinoshita had also made up his mind and told the governor that he would resign.
 Let&#8217;s go back to the November 22 resignation press conference that I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Let&#8217;s go back to the press conference on November 22 that I mentioned at the beginning of this article. I apologize to my constituents,&#8221; he said. He stated that he had donated the councilor&#8217;s remuneration for the period he was absent.
 I think it was the beginning of November. I made a bank transfer to &#8230;&#8230;. Since I started my new term as a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member in July, I donated the compensation for the three months I was absent from the assembly, totaling just under 1.9 million yen, to organizations that support women and children.
 However, at the end of the 80-minute press conference, when he was asked about his remuneration for November, he revealed his true intentions.
 At the end of the 80-minute press conference, however, when he was asked about his compensation for November, he revealed his true feelings: &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t work on November 9th even if I wanted to. I would like to consider receiving it.&#8221;
 As for the year-end allowance for the winter (Kinoshita will receive about 1.2 million yen, 60% of the total), he expressed his intention to receive it on a monthly basis, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;d like to donate the three months (that I was absent) as well as my remuneration.
 Even though he resigned from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, Mr. Kinoshita maintained his own &#8220;will. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is said to have been inundated with nearly 6,000 complaints.

 Kyodo News

 On November 22, Tomiko Kinoshita, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly who was involved in a personal injury accident while driving without a license, announced her intention to resign. At the press conference, she "lashed out" at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. She also shared her "true feelings" about the compensation for council members. What was the shocking content?

The resignation of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member Kinoshita: Not only &#8220;Misplaced anger&#8221; but also her true feelings that leaked out at the press conference.

The resignation of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member Kinoshita: Not only “Misplaced anger” but also her true feelings that leaked out at the press conference.

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