Introduction　

I am a mother raising a middle school student and a preschooler in Bunkyo Ward, and I am the administrator of the LINE Open Chat "Bunkyo Ward Council Watch Group." Through my continued requests for information disclosure regarding ward administration and scrutiny of the council, I have come to have serious doubts about the way education is administered in Bunkyo Ward. This residents' lawsuit is not simply about how money is spent. It is about whether opaque decision-making is taking place in the important field of education.

Currently, Bunkyo Ward is promoting the "Project to Weave Learning Towards the World" as a flagship initiative in its educational administration. Specifically, it involves teacher training for the International Baccalaureate (IB). In July 2025, a symposium was held at the Civic Hall, and many parents expressed their excitement about the initiative's progressive nature, asking questions such as, "Will Baccalaureate education be available in Bunkyo Ward's elementary schools?" and "Will there be an IB-certified school?" (Bunkyo Ward has stated that it will not create such a school). However, both residents and parents could not help but have doubts about the process of its realization and, more importantly, its content.

* International Baccalaureate Education: An international educational program offered by the International Baccalaureate Organization (headquartered in Geneva). It aims to cultivate individuals with the skills necessary to thrive in a globalized world. When a school becomes an IB-accredited school, it can officially implement the educational program set forth by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). The IB Diploma Programme (DP) at the high school level is a globally recognized qualification that can be used for admission to overseas universities and other purposes.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology IB Education Promotion Consortium Website

　Businesses whose necessity has not been explained　

First, what kind of teacher training is this?
According to the ward, the training program, which is described as having "highly versatile content that can be heard by everyone from kindergarten teachers to management staff,"
The plan involves conducting online sessions for just under 50 people over two years, covering six themes, with each theme consisting of three 90-minute sessions. There is absolutely no explanation as to what level of effectiveness this scale will have, whether this content will improve education, or why this project is necessary now.

Regarding the reasons for introducing the program, the ward claims that "while academic performance consistently exceeds the national and metropolitan averages, and admission to private schools is among the top, there may be challenges in areas such as initiative, problem-setting and problem-solving abilities, and teamwork." However, in the national academic achievement survey that the ward cited as its basis, 56.1% of Bunkyo Ward children responded positively to the question, for example, "Do you work together to solve problems?", which is significantly higher than the national average of 46.1%. It remains unclear exactly where the ward perceived challenges in the abilities of Bunkyo Ward children, and why they decided on the "International Baccalaureate as the only option" to improve their inquisitiveness.

There is no evidence that the Board of Education had a sufficient discussion about the motivations for undertaking this project. Councillor Michiyo Itakura also pointed this out, as follows:

Furthermore, on November 30, 2023, the same month that the topic of the International Baccalaureate was first mentioned at the Board of Education, records show that the mayor and representatives of the International Baccalaureate had already decided to hold a symposium and conduct teacher training, which marked their "first" official meeting.

▲Although this is the meeting minutes attended by Mayor Narusawa, none of his remarks are recorded. Despite this being the same month that the Baccalaureate program was first discussed at the Board of Education meeting, it appears that the program's details had already been largely decided.

　Was the discretionary contract appropriate?　

Procedural problems have also come to light.

Initially, Bunkyo Ward was planning to enter into a discretionary contract with the NPO Smile Baton, claiming that "this training cannot be conducted anywhere else." However, they later changed their contracting party to Silver Fern Holdings, and this time explained that "it can only be conducted by Silver Fern."

However, the ward made its decision on why only certain businesses could carry out the work based solely on verbal explanations from the businesses themselves, rather than on objective documents such as written records. In other words, they proceeded with a discretionary contract without adequately examining the necessary competition, simply stating that "no one else could do it."

Furthermore, approximately 7.5 million yen was spent on this training program, but no documentation was found to verify the appropriateness of this amount. Since Silverfern does not employ its own staff, the instructors are outsourced, but the selection process for these individuals was also redacted.

　The pros and cons of Bunkyo Ward providing training to teachers who are expected to be transferred.　

Furthermore, public elementary and junior high school teachers are subject to transfers within and outside the ward (usually after 6 years). While this may benefit individual teachers, there are questions about the rationale for Bunkyo Ward to provide training to teachers who may be transferred outside the ward in a few years. At the time the lawsuit was filed, there were no plans for the trained teachers to pass on their knowledge to other teachers.

　Relationship with the ward mayor and suspected conflict of interest　

Furthermore, Mr. W, the representative of Silver Fern Holdings, serves as a councilor of a certain general incorporated association, along with Bunkyo Ward Mayor Narusawa and Mr. S, who has served as a member of the Bunkyo Ward Board of Education and as Deputy Superintendent of Education since 2008.
In other words, the recipient of the discretionary contract is "a direct acquaintance of the ward mayor."

Regarding the fact that my acquaintance, CEO W, brought up the topic of this training,
"I introduced them from my own network of contacts and told them to discuss it thoroughly with the Board of Education. I have no intention of creating an IB-accredited school, so I would like them to think about what else can be done." (Special Committee on Settlement Review, October 16, 2025)
The ward mayor also acknowledged this in a statement made in the assembly. Structurally, this raises doubts about decision-making based on relationships. The Board of Education, which said it "told them to discuss it thoroughly," shows no evidence that the necessity was adequately discussed, as mentioned above.

Especially given the personal relationship, I believe that the contract with Silver Fern Holdings, headed by Mr. W who initiated the discussion, should have been more carefully reviewed for its rationale, documented thoroughly, and proceeded with greater transparency.

Is a 7.5 million yen discretionary contract with a "Mayor's acquaintance" appropriate? Questions raised about the selection of a contractor for Bunkyo Ward's "International Baccalaureate" teacher training program. Tokyo Shimbun, October 31, 2025.

　Is it appropriate for the ward mayor to intervene in education?　

Several ward council members who investigated the circumstances have repeatedly questioned the matter in the council, stating that it constitutes "direct intervention by the mayor's office in educational administration."

Education should be discussed within the board of education, and this issue undermines the independence of educational administration.
The education committee system was established to separate educational administration from the head of the local government's department and to ensure expertise and neutrality. If this independence becomes meaningless, the direction of education could be influenced by short-term policy decisions.

　Issues in the trial　

This lawsuit is being contested as a residents' lawsuit, and the main points of contention are as follows:

1. The contract lacks rationality.

This project is positioned as teacher training that does not aim to establish IB-accredited schools, but its objectives are unclear. The Bunkyo Ward Board of Education has not discussed its objectives. Teachers from the ward's public junior high schools and public elementary schools are scheduled to be transferred outside of Bunkyo Ward, so the ripple effect is limited.

2. The requirements for a "negotiated contract" are not met.

a. No alternatives to training related to the International Baccalaureate have been considered. b. No alternatives to Silverfern Co., Ltd. have been considered for the work to be carried out by a company other than Silverfern Co., Ltd. c. The outsourcing costs are unreasonable.

This residents' lawsuit seeks to hold the ward mayor, the superintendent of education, and the managers in charge accountable for these illegal activities, and to demand that Bunkyo Ward refrain from entering into similar contracts from fiscal year 2026 onward.

　Why this lawsuit now?　

The project was featured prominently in newspapers and magazines as "the first collaboration between the International Baccalaureate and a local government," which may have created the impression that "Bunkyo Ward is truly impressive."

However, Bunkyo Ward currently faces urgent issues such as one of the highest rates of school absenteeism in Tokyo, a perpetual shortage of classrooms due to the increasing number of children, a lack of after-school care, and inadequate support systems for the growing number of foreign children with language barriers and children requiring special education. Given these challenges, is it appropriate to prioritize spending taxpayer money on projects whose necessity is unclear?

If opaque procedures continue to be tolerated, the entire ward administration will become distorted. I have a strong sense of crisis that this will directly affect the quality of life (QOL) of the ward's residents.
I filed this lawsuit with the hope that the education committee, which is completely independent of the mayor's office, will discuss the programs that children in Bunkyo Ward truly need right now.

This issue has been a long-standing topic of discussion within the volunteer citizens' group "Bunkyo Ward Council Watch Group" (LINE Open Chat).
This issue, which Councilwoman Atsuko Kaizu raised in a general question session, was picked up by the chat participants, and we, who are not experts, consulted with each other and drafted a resident audit request. Furthermore, generous chat participants contributed funds for the litigation costs, allowing us to file the request.

　Regarding the use of funds　

The funds will be used for expenses such as expert opinions, actual costs for information disclosure, campaign activity expenses, and legal fees. Detailed information on how the funds will be used will be made available here and also by the "Bunkyo Ward Council Watch Group."

Message from the assigned attorney

Kosuke Nobata (Second Tokyo Bar Association, Kagurazaka Keystone Law Office)

This lawsuit raises concerns about Bunkyo Ward's educational administration, which fails to answer simple questions from residents such as, "Why is the teacher training related to the International Baccalaureate?", "The ward is paying a high fee for conducting the training, but will it be adequately returned to the residents and children of the ward?", and "Why is the contract being outsourced to a company whose representative is an acquaintance of the ward mayor?"
The lack of transparency in administrative processes and the failure to clarify issues through questioning in the assembly are not unique to Bunkyo Ward, but rather common problems in other local governments and in Japanese administration as a whole.
We would be grateful if you would take an interest in this issue, as it concerns you all.

lastly

I believe administrative litigation has the power to bring issues to public attention and deter inappropriate procedures. Through citizen movements, I have strongly come to realize that transparency in procedures and information is, without exaggeration, directly linked to the well-being of the ward's residents.
I hope that this lawsuit will bring us a little closer to transparent ward administration and have an impact not only on Bunkyo Ward but also on other areas.
We would greatly appreciate your support. Thank you very much.

<Bunkyo Ward Council Watch Group (LINE Open Chat)> *You can join anonymously
https://line.me/ti/g2/uX19xiIbh3sgjLRc8Ievl3OVMEF34c_DTmSJSw