A former senior diplomat who was fired last month for suspected embezzlement of secret government funds made business trips to an Air Self-Defense Force base in Hokkaido in 1994 and 1999, sources familiar with the case said Thursday.
He did not actually meet any senior ASDF officials during these visits, however, despite declaring this to be the purpose of the trips, the sources said.
Katsutoshi Matsuo, 55, visited the Chitose base from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28, 1994, for "meetings with ASDF officials to arrange flights by government planes," according to Foreign Ministry records. He also visited Sapporo on Aug. 22 and 23, 1999, the records show. It is suspected that Matsuo took private trips paid for with public money.