Itoman Police arrested Nov. 8th an Itoman City government employee, who works at the City Tax Collection Division, on suspicion of embezzlement.

According to investigators, 44-year-old Yoshino Higa from Maezato, Itoman City is suspected of embezzling at least ¥290,000 from money collected from people who had failed to pay their taxes.

The alleged embezzlement was discovered earlier this month when a son of a man who had defaulted in his taxes visited the city office on Nov. 2nd and 4th to inquire about his father’s case. Higa turned himself in to Itoman City Police in the morning of Nov. 4th explaining, “I have pocketed public money.”

Higa had served as a receiving cashier for collected taxes at the City Taxation Division since 2014. According to an internal investigation by the city officials, the embezzlement had started in December 2014, after which Higa had taken collected money on several occasions. City officials suspect the total money Higa pocketed amounts to more than one million yen.

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