The embattled mayor of Toyosato, Shiga Prefecture, visited the education ministry Thursday and asked the national government to designate a historical school building he recently tried to raze as a nationally important cultural property, ministry officials said.
Mayor Wasaburo Ono asked senior vice minister Takeo Kawamura for help in light of the town's tight financial situation and the large costs involved in repairing Toyosato Elementary School.
Back in Toyosato, Ono faces a referendum in March on whether he should be ousted following a heated standoff with residents over his aborted plan to tear down the school.