Japan TV Executive Embezzled Charity Donations, Sales; Stole More Than ¥11 Million Starting in 2014

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:02 JST, November 29, 2023

TOTTORI — A former senior official of Nihonkai Telecasting Co. (NKT) embezzled about ¥11.18 million from donations collected by a Nippon TV charity program and NKT sales, the company has said.

Masahiro Tamura, a former head of NKT’s management strategy office, was in charge of accounting when he embezzled a total of ¥2,646,020 from donations for the “24-Hour Television” charity project from 2014 through this year, according to the company.

NKT said he also took a total of ¥8,536,555 from NKT sales and other sources from 2014 to 2021.

The television program is a charity project conducted by Nippon Television Network Corp. and its affiliates. Tamura took the donations from the company’s safe, to which he had the key, and deposited them into his own bank account.

Learning that NKT was going to be audited by the tax authorities, Tamura became fearful of discovery and reported on Sept. 9 to the company that he had taken the money.

“At first, I needed to get money for my relatives,” he was quoted as saying. He is believed to have used the money on food, drinks and slot machines.

NKT dismissed Tamura, effective Tuesday. NKT Chairman Akiya Taguchi will soon resign, and President Kazuhiro Nishijima will return three months’ worth of his salary.