Photo: Pakutaso
food

Miyazaki City mistakenly sends over ¥2 mil in meat to 140 people; instructs them to eat it anyway

13 Comments
By SoraNews24

Government screw-ups are becoming all the rage in Japan recently. Hot off the heels of a huge mix-up that sent about 46.3 million yen to one guy in Yamaguchi Prefecture, nearby Miyazaki Prefecture is now having to deal with an accidental double delivery of meat.

The incident occurred in the prefectural capital of Miyazaki City which was issuing orders of meat as a part of their hometown tax (furusato nozei) scheme. This is a system in which a person living in one city can donate a portion of their city tax to another city, preferably a rural one with a declining population. In exchange for this they are given a gift from that region, often in the form of food and drink but occasionally in the form of primo air-show seats or a life-sized bust of Kenshiro from "Fist of the North Star."

Miyazaki City, meanwhile, offers various gifts of beef, chicken, and pork to those willing to contribute to their municipal coffers. However, it appears in all the clamor to get some of this high-grade meat, they accidentally sent out 140 orders worth roughly 2.1 million yen twice.

According to the city, these gifts were first sent out in February of this year, but they weren’t recorded as having gone out. So, when the time for the next shipment rolled around on May 15, these seemingly unfilled orders were sent out again.

The Miyazaki Hometown Love Donation Support Group were the ones responsible for the oversight and vowed to cover the cost of the items and shipping. They also sent emails to all the recipients telling them to not return the fresh meat because it’d just be a waste. Better they eat it instead.

Normally, that’d probably go without saying, but since the Yamaguchi incident made one person a cause célèbre all over Japan, people are probably a little extra wary of accepting erroneously sent goods from the government.

Readers of the news, nevertheless, felt this case was rather quaint in comparison.

“Lucky!”

“At least it wasn’t 46 million yen worth of meat.”

“Just 140 is kind of cute, and probably helps with promotion anyway.”

“I thought they were digitizing the government, so why does this stuff keep happening?”

“Please send out more mistakes!”

“When humans try not to make mistakes, they’re almost certain to make mistakes. This is better left to machines.”

“I’m jealous, but you know all those people are going to donate there again next year in the hopes of more.”

“I bet a fax machine was involved in this mix-up.”

“I’m beginning to question the competency of our civil servants.”

“That’s a great mistake. Miyazaki beef is the best.”

It certainly turned out to be a pretty good case of indirect marketing for Miyazaki meat, so hopefully the committee behind the error don’t have to pay too heavy a price for it.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Tax donation program rewards people with exclusive seats to a spectacular aerial performance

-- Japanese city offering authentic handcrafted swords in exchange for “tax” payments

-- Town in Yamaguchi accidentally sends everyone’s COVID-19 relief money to one person

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

13 Comments
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What happened? Did somebody duplicate the floppy disc on their Windows 98 computer?

-6 ( +7 / -13 )

I wouldn't be able to return it, anyway. I lost it all playing online meat poker.

-8 ( +6 / -14 )

That’s what happens when you hire people based on which university test they passed and not what abilities or at least common sense they possess.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Japanese Government. True to form.

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

The daily waste, graft and corruption by Japan’s municipal, prefectural and national governments continues unabated.

What should have been generous and necessary care for the Japan’s poor has been turned to a gift for just few, many not necessarily needing it and some, even unworthy and ungrateful.

Shameful. Those responsible should be held accountable for the expense.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Did the homing pigeon carying confirmation of delivery get lost? Or perhaps, the stack of documents it had to carry was so overwhelming that it decided to drop it into the ocean instead.

The Japanese government continues to embarrass itself. But hey, some people got a free meal out of it.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Laughable. More Jgov’t misteaks! Slight beef with the editorial choice to put this in “Food” rather than the more well trafficked “National” headline it equally deserves.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

you would think that someone, somewhere, would notice something, and say something.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

"...misteaks!" I see what you did there...

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Yum, meat.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

3RENSHOToday  03:33 pm JST

"...misteaks!" I see what you did there...

> kyushubillToday  11:10 pm JST

Yum, meat.

Lemme see, am I going to have steak, hamburger, spaghetti, tacos today?......

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The true meaning of government meat heads!

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

More Japanese government stupidity. I’d like to Meat the Fockers that pulled this new ¥2 million boner. People are starving and have to eat instant noodles while the undeserving get an free, extra portion of meat.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

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