It turned out that part of the 14-karat gold legislator's badge loaned by Fukui Prefecture to prefectural assembly members and returned when they retired was a gold-plated replica. It seems that the replica has been returned to avoid loss.
According to Fukui Prefecture, the prefectural assembly member badge is lent when a member is elected for the first time and is returned when he or she retires or dies due to the expiration of his or her term.
It is made of 14-karat gold, and when I bought it for the election in April this year, it cost more than 4,1 yen each.
Last month, in response to the soaring price of gold, the prefecture examined the status of the badges and found that 7 of the 69 badges in storage were gold-plated replicas.
It is believed that some legislators wear replicas for about 11,4000 yen to avoid loss, so this replica has been returned.
The prefecture is asking for the authentic return, but of the 11 pieces, five are said to have been "lost" by lawmakers, and the remaining six are unknown to anyone or have already passed away.
The prefectural government has a policy of not asking legislators for reimbursement in the event of loss, and Nobue Matsumoto, deputy director of the Parliamentary Bureau, said, "There were deficiencies in the management system of both the prefecture and the legislators, such as leaving badges on loans when members were re-elected.