OSAKA (TR) — The Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau has slapped a one-month disciplinary suspension on a male employee who repeatedly gambled during work hours and hypocritically failed to declare his own winnings, reports All Nippon News Network (Apr. 3).
The official, a man in his 30s working at a tax office in Hyogo Prefecture, was disciplined on Friday for violating the National Public Service Act.
According to the bureau, the man brazenly purchased horse (keiba) and boat racing (kyotei) tickets a staggering 2,251 times while on the clock between July 2022 and April of last year.
Compounding the offense, the tax official failed to declare the income he raked in from the betting payouts on his tax returns.
The investigation uncovered further financial deceit. On two separate occasions — in March 2024 and February 2025 — the official submitted fraudulent loan applications to the Ministry of Finance Mutual Aid Association, illegally borrowing 700,000 yen each time.
“This is unacceptable behavior for a public servant involved in tax administration. We deeply apologize for damaging the trust of the public,” stated the head of the bureau’s public relations office.
