YAMANASHI (TR) – Yamanashi Prefectural Police last month arrested a 25-year-old former tax office employee in Kofu City for embezzling money he collected from people as unpaid taxes, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Aug. 2).
Between December 2023 and May 2024, the unnamed formers staffer took about 880,000 yen in cash from a local restaurant owner that was meant to cover back taxes.
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.
He told police that he used the stolen cash to pay off online gambling debts and cover living expenses. None of the stolen money has been repaid.
The tax bureau apologized at a press conference. “This has undermined trust in tax administration, and we deeply apologize,” a representative said. The staffer was officially fired on July 30. Authorities are now working to recover the money and make sure taxpayers aren’t negatively affected.
