Employee sacked for stealing ¥3.6 million from Emperor of Japan
An employee of Japan’s Imperial Household Agency has been dismissed following allegations of misappropriating 3.6 million yen earmarked for the personal expenditures of Emperor Naruhito and his family.
The chamberlain reportedly committed the thefts on multiple occasions spanning from November 2023 to March of the current year, confessing that the acquired funds were utilized for living expenses.
The chamberlain, who is under the age of 30, has since provided full reimbursement of the embezzled sum.
According to statements from the agency, another staff member in their 40s, who assumed responsibility for the oversight of these particular funds in January of this year, identified inconsistencies between the documented financial records and the actual cash on hand.
Upon discovering a 30,000 yen discrepancy during an internal investigation conducted in March, this employee confronted the chamberlain, who was on duty during the night. At this point, the chamberlain admitted to perpetrating the series of thefts.
The employee in their 40s, who initially detected the financial irregularities, has received a disciplinary measure in the form of a 10% reduction in salary for a one-month period due to perceived negligence in their management responsibilities.
Yasuhiko Nishimura, the grand steward of the agency, issued a statement expressing profound regret for this “unacceptable act by a member of the agency who supports the activities of the Imperial Family.”
In his apology to the Emperor and other members of the imperial family, Nishimura stated, “We’ll work to prevent similar incidents from happening again by strictly maintaining discipline.”
Source: JIJI
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