TOKYO – An employee at Japan’s Imperial Palace has been dismissed for allegedly stealing cash totaling 3.6 million yen (about 24,900 U.S. dollars) set aside for personal expenses for Emperor Naruhito and his family, local media reported Friday.
The Imperial Household Agency (IHA) identified the suspect as an employee in his 20s who was one of about 80 attendants assigned to serve the daily needs of Naruhito and his family, and has filed a criminal complaint with the palace police, Jiji Press reported.
According to the agency, another employee in his 40s who was tasked with managing such funds in January this year noticed a discrepancy between the cash in the safe and the accounting book.
After discovering the loss of 30,000 yen in late March, the employee confronted the suspect, with the latter admitting to stealing a total of 3.6 million yen on several occasions between November 2023 and March this year, the report said.
The suspect later returned the money by mid-April, it added.
“We deeply regret this unacceptable act by a member of the agency who supports the activities of the Imperial Family,” IHA chief Yasuhiko Nishimura said in a statement.
Apologizing to the Emperor and other imperial family members, Nishimura said, “We’ll work to prevent similar incidents from happening again by strictly maintaining discipline.”
XINHUA