Fukuoka Assembly Members Forego Costly 18-Karat Gold Badges

Oct 15, 2025 | News On Japan

FUKUOKA - Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly decided on October 14th to replace its traditional 18-karat gold member badges with gold-plated ones, in response to soaring gold prices that recently hit a record high.

The assembly had long used 18-karat gold for its official member badges, but costs have surged in recent years. According to the assembly, a single badge cost 32,400 yen in fiscal 2018, rising to 66,000 yen by fiscal 2022. With the next assembly election scheduled for two years from now, estimates for purchasing new badges in the next fiscal year — including spares and those for former members — put the total cost at more than 30 million yen.

Faced with this sharp increase, the assembly’s steering committee voted to switch badge materials from solid gold to gold plating and to abolish badges for former members. The change is expected to slash total costs from around 30 million yen to about 2 million yen.

Source: FBS

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