April 20, 2026
TOYAMA – If lapel pins for prefectural assembly members continue to be made from gold, production costs may surge to around ¥100,000 per pin. Some assembly members are questioning whether the pins are necessary at all, and one assembly has introduced wooden pins.
The Toyama prefectural assembly, which has an election slated for next spring, currently loans lapel pins made from 14-karat gold to its 40 members. In February, it decided to change the pin design to gold-plated silver and to gift the pins to the members.
The decision came after it was estimated that a 14-karat pin would cost ¥97,900 at current gold prices, a 150% increase in cost from the pins made for members elected in 2023.
Last summer, the prefectural assembly’s secretariat proposed the changes, saying that it was “not realistic” to produce pins from 14-karat gold using taxpayer money. The proposal was unanimously approved by the assembly.
The change means that new lapel pins are projected to cost ¥16,280 each, less than half the 2023 figure.
Shinichi Takeda, who was speaker of the prefectural assembly when it approved the changes, said lapel pins “can help assembly members understand that they bear a heavy responsibility.” But he added, “I believe many voters are wondering whether these items are really necessary.”
The Fukuoka prefectural assembly has also changed its policy on lapel pins, ahead of an election next spring. It used to grant its 87 members a main pin made from 18 karat gold and a smaller, simplified pin made from 20 karat gold.
Now the assembly has decided to use gold plating for the main pin and to scrap the smaller pin entirely.
Under the previous policy, lapel pin costs were expected to swell to ¥30 million for members elected next spring — or 230% higher than costs in 2023. With the change, costs are expected to fall to about ¥2 million.
Lapel pins for the Osaka prefectural assembly used to be made with 14-karat gold. After the 2023 election, it introduced two kinds of pins for its 79 members: gold-plated brass and wood. The wooden pins were aimed at promoting locally grown cypress.
Costing just ¥3,190 each, the wooden pins are actually magnets and have generally been welcomed by the assembly members, as they are easy to wear even when not in a suit.
“We haven’t heard any complaints about how much better the old version was,” a prefectural assembly official said.