Is It a Scam? A Former Councilor Reveals Her Alluring Self in a Sold-Out Photo Book

A former female city councilor who became a topic of conversation online for being “cute” has received a guilty verdict.

On October 7, the Fukuoka District Court sentenced defendant Mika Yoshiba (44), a former city councilor from Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, to 10 years in prison and ordered her to pay a restitution of 198 million yen for fraud and other charges. Yoshiba was accused of conspiring with other members of a criminal group to exploit a lending system intended for organizations that suffered financial setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, defrauding them of a substantial amount of money.

“The prosecution sought a 10-year prison sentence, arguing that ‘Yoshiba played an important and indispensable role in the fraud case.’ On the other hand, the defense claimed that ‘the defendant was not aware of her involvement in the fraud,’ asserting her innocence. Yoshiba herself stated, ‘I did not commit fraud.’ However, based on physical evidence and other factors, her claims were not upheld,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s judiciary section.

Friday extensively reported on the massive fraud case in which Yoshiba allegedly participated in an article published on August 16, 2022. It also reflects on her alluring persona and her surprising behavior, including the release of her own photo book (the content has been partially edited).

“I want you to pay me half of the loan amount.”

“They say I resemble the actress Haru.”

The arrested former female city councilor reportedly often said this to those around her.

On August 1, 2022, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police arrested five men and women on suspicion of fraud. They are suspected of defrauding a public lending system intended to support medical facilities that suffered financial setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing false information to obtain a large amount of cash.

Among those arrested were five individuals, including Yoshiba. They allegedly deceived medical facilities affected by the pandemic to secure substantial cash through fraudulent means.

“The victims were a welfare facility, Company A, located in Sakai City, Osaka. The five-member group made false proposals to Company A starting in July 2020, suggesting they utilize the ‘COVID-19 Support Fund’ program. They claimed, ‘You can secure funding through a special method. You won’t have civil liability if you don’t repay, so please pay half of the loan amount.’

In reality, loans require repayment. Believing the fraudulent explanation, Company A received approximately 120 million yen in loans from the authorities, and the group defrauded them of about 60 million yen under the pretense of business outsourcing fees. They reportedly repeated similar fraudulent acts, including holding seminars, and the total amount of damages is believed to exceed 1 billion yen,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs section.

A congressman’s badge as a cell phone strap

From the beginning, Yoshiba denied committing the crime, saying that he had not received a single yen and that he was just caught up in it. However, Yoshiba has been known as a “disturbing city councilor” since he was first elected in 2007.

She released a photo book titled “Mika Yoshiba” under the guise of raising political funds. The 500 copies of the book, priced at 1,000 yen each, quickly sold out and were reprinted.

She ran an event management company in Tokyo and must have been quite prosperous. He often drove a yellow Mercedes-Benz to the office. Perhaps he was particular about his badge, but he wore it not on his chest but on the strap of his cell phone, which was decorated in a flashy way.

 

An acquaintance of Yoshiba’s told us, “He is dead now, but he was involved with food.

He was adored by the president of a food company, who has since passed away. The president took him to various events in Tokyo and Osaka. It seems that he also interacted with the head of the entertainment agency. At his birthday party, I took the microphone and congratulated him.”

Yoshiba was seen in a variety of places, from the entertainment world to the political world, and was expanding his friendships. However, he has completely discredited himself with troubles unbecoming of a member of the Diet.