Sapporo City Hall Main Building

Sapporo City is beginning to face financial difficulties. The general account budget for fiscal year 2026 has reached a record high of 1.3185 trillion yen. The revenue shortfall of 21 billion yen incurred during the budget formulation was covered by withdrawing 10.4 billion yen from the city’s financial adjustment fund, which serves as its savings, and by reducing administrative expenses. The city estimates that the three major funds, including the financial adjustment fund used to balance the budget, will be depleted by fiscal year 2031. In the ordinary account settlement, which includes some special accounts, the city has been running a real single-year deficit since fiscal year 2021, and a fundamental overhaul of the city’s finances is inevitable.

■ Projected revenue shortfall for fiscal year 2035 is 2.8 times that of fiscal year 2026

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Sapporo City Hall Main Building

The Sapporo City Hall Main Building is a historic landmark in Hokkaido, Japan, built in 1911 in the Neo-Baroque style with a distinctive red brick exterior. It served as the city’s administrative center for decades and is one of the few surviving early 20th-century government buildings in the region, surviving World War II bombings. Today, it remains a symbol of Sapporo’s development and is open to the public as a museum and tourist attraction.