On July 30, a 25-year-old former tax office employee in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, was arrested for embezzling money he collected from people as unpaid taxes. He reportedly used the stolen cash to pay off online gambling debts and cover living expenses.
According to police, between December 2023 and May 2024, he took about 880,000 yen in cash from a local restaurant owner that was meant to cover back taxes. He admitted to using the money for personal reasons.
An internal investigation by the Tokyo Regional Tax Bureau found that over the past year, he had stolen about 4.3 million yen in total from six companies and six individuals. None of the stolen money has been repaid.
The tax bureau apologized at a press conference, saying the incident damaged public trust. The man was officially fired on July 30. Authorities are now working to recover the money and make sure taxpayers aren’t negatively affected.
by MagazineKey4532