The assembly has traditionally used 18-karat gold for its official member badges. However, costs for these badges have surged significantly in recent years.
According to the assembly, the cost of a single badge was 32,400 yen in fiscal 2018. By fiscal 2022, this price had doubled to 66,000 yen. With the next assembly election scheduled for two years from now, estimates for purchasing new badges—including spares and badges for former members—put the total cost at more than 30 million yen.
Faced with this sharp increase, the assembly’s steering committee has voted to change the badge materials from solid gold to gold plating. Additionally, they have decided to abolish badges for former members.
This change is expected to dramatically reduce costs, slashing the total expenditure from around 30 million yen to approximately 2 million yen.
https://newsonjapan.com/article/147279.php
