A provincial Japanese assembly, made globally famous when a lawmaker was filmed sobbing over his alleged misuse of public funds, cut politicians' allowances today.
Ryutaro Nonomura brought infamy on Hyogo prefecture for the performance in which he was quizzed by journalists over allegations he had claimed thousands of dollars for fictional business trips.
Nonomura is suspected of misusing eight million yen (USD 73,000) that he said was spent on hundreds of visits to resorts and other venues for work-related events, but for which he could not produce receipts, local media reported.
Footage of the middle-aged assemblyman, who has reportedly admitted misusing public money to police, went viral. It showed him crying uncontrollably and banging his fists on a desk as tears streamed down his face.
His incoherent explanations and complaints about how unfair the world was were punctuated by gasping sobs and the sharp intakes of breath required to power his next outburst.
Looped footage of the three-hour press conference played on Japanese television for days after the July episode, which provided rich fodder for social media users and comedians alike.
The incident cast a light on the 500,000 yen monthly political allowances that assembly members are granted by Hyogo prefecture. Today, the assembly voted to cut these allowances by ten per cent.
