A senior Foreign Ministry official was fired Thursday for allegedly embezzling state funds and a criminal complaint was filed against him with the Metropolitan Police Department, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said.
An internal investigation indicates that Katsutoshi Matsuo, 55, who managed funds for overseas trips for Japanese VIPs, embezzled at least 54 million yen to buy four race horses.
In total, 560 million yen of the government's discretionary funds were deposited in a personal bank account. Of that amount, 310 million yen was misappropriated, according to the ministry, 256 million yen of which remains unaccounted for.