Japanese Town Uses Relief Money To Erect Giant Squid Statue

On today's installment of lessons in *fish-cal responsibility* the rural town of Noto in Ishikawa, Japan used a Covid-19 relief payment worth millions of yen not on investing in PPE, public health campaigns, or aiding small businesses suffering from the pandemic, but to give back to their community, engaging in an act of true squid-pro-quo, in the form of erecting a massive cephalopod statue in their midst. 

Standing at an impressive 29 feet wide, 13 feet tall, and a whopping 42 feet long, the giant squid monument, embodying the town's aquatic calling card, cost roughly $228,181 or roughly 25 million yen, built with the intention of drawing in tourists once the pandemic is over, Kotaku reported. While apparently in line with the funds' intention, with the site noting that local governments had the autonomy to decide how to spend the money, it seems many people were unhappy with this fishy spending.

As the outlet noted, reports have stated that some residents have floundering opinions of the investment, skeptical if it is in fact necessary or whether it, like many of the large attractions smattered around the world, will actually have an impact on the locale's PR, especially considering that many of the nation's large cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto are still struggling with the virus, with the nation as a whole experience an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases.  Yet it seems those in charge maintained that building a giant, decorative squid was the best use of their funds – “The individual in charge did claim that the funds didn’t need to have a direct relationship to covid-19 and that the town was taking a long, post-pandemic view with the project,” Kotaku noted in their coverage. 

So folks, whether you hate the giant squid statue or find it ink-redible, what's fin-ished is fin-ished. 

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