Skip to main content

Komazawa Park Administrator Caught Embezzling ¥12 Million in Usage Fees

 

On Sept. 6 the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Lifestyle, Culture and Sports Bureau and Sports Benefits Corporation announced the discovery that income at the Komazawa Olympic Park Sports Complex such as facility usage fees had been embezzled. The theft of funds was committed by an employee of the Tokyo Sports Benefits Corporation, the organization that administers the park and its facilities.

Between June, 2021 and July, 2023, a contract employee at O-Ence Ltd., a subsidiary of the Corporation, embezzled facility usage fees which the employee was tasked with handling. The employee stole roughly 12,000,000 yen [~$81,000 USD] by making transfers to the employee's personal account and withdrawing cash from the company's account. Facility usage fees are classified as the income of the administering organization, so no direct harm to park and facility users of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government occurred as a result of the embezzlement. The employee and O-Ence have already repaid in full the amount that had been stolen.

The incident came to light in July this year when the Corporation became suspicious that an O-Ence employee was embezzling usage fees and reported it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. They questioned the employee and implemented emergency measures at Komazawa Park to prevent future incidents of the same kind. The employee's acts fall under the criminal category of embezzlement in the course of business, and the Corporation has consulted with the police to submit charges and ensure that the employee be punished. The employee was fired by O-Ence on Aug. 29.

Translator's note: Although Komazawa Park is adjacent to the main campus of Komazawa University, it is not part of the university and the university's national champion ekiden team does not train at the track in the park.


Comments

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...