Former Female Councilor Convicted of Fraud Releases Photo Book, Sold Out at 1,000 Yen
A woman smiles, holding a plate with a brightly decorated cake. She is the person who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay 198 million yen in additional fines for fraud and other charges.
The photo shows former Neyagawa City council member Yoshiba Mika (45). She was sentenced in October 2024 for defrauding a large sum of money by abusing a loan system meant to support organizations whose business suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yoshiba and four other men and women were arrested by the Fukuoka Prefectural Police in August 2022. They allegedly defrauded nearly 300 million yen from multiple organizations by providing false explanations to obtain loans.
More than three years after the arrest on December 11 of this year, there was a new development.
“The Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office announced that approximately 198 million yen in compensation payments will be distributed to the victims of the crimes committed by Yoshiba and the others. This is part of a victim restitution payment system that distributes criminal proceeds collected from perpetrators of fraud and other crimes. Applications for the payment are open until February 9, 2026.” (Reporter, national newspaper social affairs department)
From immediately after her arrest, Yoshiba denied the allegations, claiming she didn’t receive a single yen and was just caught up in it. In court, seemingly to prove her innocence, she appeared in an all-white suit—a power outfit—and loudly stated:
“I dispute all the charges in the indictment! I did not plot any fraud!”
Council badge attached to mobile strap
From the time Yoshiba was first elected to the Neyagawa City Council in 2007, she had already gained notoriety as a troublesome council member.
“She ran an event management company in Tokyo and must have had considerable resources. She often came to the city hall in a yellow Mercedes. Perhaps as a matter of style, she didn’t wear her council badge on her chest but attached it to her flashy mobile phone strap.
Furthermore, under the pretext of raising political funds, she released a photo book titled ‘Mika Yoshiba.’ There were no swimsuit shots, but the book featured beautiful images of Yoshiba smiling in casual clothes, like an actress’ photobook. The initial print of 500 copies sold for 1,000 yen each sold out immediately, prompting a reprint.” (Source: Neyagawa City Council official)
“FRIDAY Digital” has obtained exclusive photos from Yoshiba’s 2010 photo book publication party. The photo introduced at the beginning of the article is one of them.
“At the party, Yoshiba personally served the desserts and cakes provided to attendees. She also offered to sign copies of the photo book for purchasers. Under the banner ‘JUMP PROJECT,’ she stood on a beer crate and passionately advocated her policies.” (Party attendee)
Even during her time as a council member, Yoshiba was a noticeable figure. She now spends her days confronting the consequences of the crimes she committed.
