TOKYO (TR) – Police have arrested a former executive of major smartphone game developer GungHo Online Entertainment for allegedly defrauding the company out of approximately 40 million yen through fictitious business contracts, reports Nippon News Network (July 10).
Takanori Kikuchi, the company’s former systems division general manager, is accused of fabricating external orders for system bug detection work in 2022. Leveraging his position and authority to approve corporate contracts, Kikuchi allegedly routed the company’s payouts directly into his personal bank account.
During questioning by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Kikuchi admitted to the allegations.
However, investigators believe the 40-million-yen theft was merely the tip of the iceberg. Police suspect Kikuchi repeatedly used the same deceptive scheme over time to pocket roughly 100 million yen in total from the gaming giant. The investigation is ongoing.
