A: Yo Sakura-chan, got any hot goss? 🤔

B: Hai, Ito City's mayor, Takubo Maki, in some trouble, ain't she? 😮

A: That's right! She's under fire for lying about her education. Seems like she said she went to Toyo University but was actually booted out. 🙅‍♀️

B: Woah, that's a big deal! Did she admit it? 🤨

A: Well, not exactly. She claims she made an honest mistake and even showed proof, but now that document is questionable. 🤷‍♀️

B: So the city assembly called her up to talk about it, right? 🤔

A: Exactly! But Takubo turned them down, saying it's hard to answer their questions. They didn't like that response and plan to call her again. If she keeps turning them down, they might press charges. 😠

B: Dang, that's serious. The city assembly speaker called her actions unacceptable and asked her to step down. 🤬

A: She did say she was gonna resign earlier this month, but now it seems like she might run for mayor again. 🤷‍♀️

B: I hope they sort this out soon. It's a mess! 😓
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The mayor of Ito City, west of Tokyo, is under increasing pressure to testify over allegations that she falsified her academic background.



Mayor Takubo Maki was elected in May. She is suspected of falsely claiming in a city PR magazine that she was a graduate of Toyo University. She had actually been expelled.



On Thursday, Takubo declined a summons from a special investigative committee launched by the city assembly. She said she was being asked to testify about matters that are virtually impossible to provide answers to.



The special committee met on Friday. It determined that the mayor's refusal lacks a justifiable cause.



The committee says it will summon her again, and if she declines, it may file a criminal accusation.



The speaker of the city assembly said the mayor's response is morally and socially unacceptable. He asked her to make good on her plan to step down.



Mayor Takubo has explained that she thought that she had graduated from the university. She had also shown the city assembly speaker what she said was a diploma, whose authenticity is now in question.



Takubo announced her intention to resign early this month, but hinted that she will run for Mayor again.
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Quiz 1:
Who is the mayor of Ito City?
A. Takubo Maki
B. Suzuki Hiroshi
C. Yamada Koji
D. Tanaka Rina

[Answer block]
Answers: Quiz 1: A

Quiz 2:
What university is Mayor Takubo Maki suspected of falsely claiming to have graduated from?
A. Toyo University
B. Tokyo University
C. Kyoto University
D. Osaka University

[Answer block]
Answers: Quiz 2: A

Quiz 3:
What is the current status of Mayor Takubo Maki's intention to resign?
A. She has already resigned.
B. She has stepped down temporarily.
C. She has announced her intention to resign.
D. She has not made any such announcement.

[Answer block]
Answers: Quiz 3: C