Japan Vows to Punish MOF Officials Over Taxi Perks

Japan’s Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga said it’s “very shocking” that ministry officials have been accepting gifts from taxi drivers and “severe punishment” will be issued.

“Public officials are supposed to serve to the nation in a fair manner, and this kind of thing should never, ever happen,” Nukaga said at a press conference in Tokyo today. “It’s a very shocking incident.”

The Ministry of Finance said yesterday that more than 300 of its employees were accepting gift vouchers, beverages or food when riding taxis. Ministry employees use taxis to return home when they miss the last train because of work. Tokyo’s train and subway networks close down after midnight.

Nukaga said he was informed about the case three days ago and immediately ordered a hearing among all officials.

“We’ll do our best to perform a thorough investigation and we’re committed to preventing this kind of thing from happening again,” he said. “Following a through investigation, we would like to issue a severe punishment.”

One official received more than 300,000 yen ($2,800) in cash and vouchers each year for five years, the ministry said.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said public servants “are strictly governed by ethics, and they shouldn’t engage in acts that appear suspicious to the public. Why can’t they abide by something so obvious?”

Late Hours

Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said the government needs to take strict measures against officials who violate the public’s trust. He said part of the problem was that officials had to work late every night and the government should examine how to change their work lifestyles.

The perks aren’t confined to the Finance Ministry, according to NHK Television. A total of 502 officials at 13 ministries received gifts from taxi drivers, the state-run broadcaster said today.

The Finance Ministry said there was no evidence that its officials broke the law because they didn’t receive the gifts in exchange for favorable treatment on matters that fall under its supervision. It would stipulate that employees won’t be able to receive gifts from taxi drivers in the future or call on a specific driver, the ministry said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aFWu_pmTLqWM&refer=japan