Officials in Yaizu recall calendar after gangster's photo appears on one page
SHIZUOKA —
Local government officials in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, were red-faced this week after they learned that a gangster appears in a photo of people at a shrine festival on the page for the month of August in the city’s 2012 calendar.
The city on Tuesday started recalling the calendars, Sankei Shimbun reported.
Yaizu has been making the calendars since 1983 and usually prints 55,000 copies, most of which are distributed to local businesses and residents.
City officials told Sankei a new calendar will be ready by Feb 1.
Local governments have become sensitive to yakuza members appearing at public events since late summer. As part of an anti-yakuza initiative, the National Police Agency called on citizens to decline offers from the yakuza to help out at traditional festivals. In the past, yakuza gangs have been known to operate snack booths and other vending stalls at festivals throughout Japan.
The NPA is trying to eradicate yakuza involvement in sporting and other events.
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11 Comments
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-1
soldave
They were probably trying to showcase their best donators (and recipients) of city funds over the past 12 months.
-1
Cricky
Don't see don't exist
Whoops we showed!
-2
cactusJack
"Hey, it is the guy we give money to for those little expensive towels"
2
ExportExpert
Waste of money again by local goverment, twice in this case.
1
tokyokawasaki
Hang on, if he is a known gangster, why hasn't he been arrested? Oh yeah, I forgot.... He hasn't handed himself in yet.
1
Star-viking
Stupid.
1
BurakuminDes
Ha ha! Good luck with that - those shrine festival things are controlled by the yakuza, they participate in the floats, food-selling - the lot. I'm sure there are very dodgy people in any photo involving a festival in Japan! Why not just paint one of those black bars over his eyes? lol
0
Star-viking
I seem to recall a lot of Yakuza types at the Asakusa Festival in May.
1
Al Stewart
who spotted the gangster? What kind of pic was it? Was he infront with his thumb up smiling like the Fonz? Seems a bit too much to recall all of it for just one person. It depends on the pic i guess. anybody got a shot of it?
1
Badge213
Yakuza make some good yakisoba though.
0
Yubaru
What's worse is that it's the taxpayer's money that paid for the calendars I'll bet and it will be the taxpayer's money that gets them collected and reprinted as well. If I paid taxes in that city you can bet I would be knocking on the door of all those responsible and demanding a refund!
How about the people who screwed up pay for it with their hardly earned bonus money!!
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