Wed, Jun 25 03:56 PM
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's finance minister will return 20 percent of one month's salary to try to regain public trust after 600 ministry officials were found to have taken cash, coupons and beer from taxi drivers on late-night rides home.
The 600 were among more than 1,400 bureaucrats from 20 ministries who admitted to taking gifts in a scandal that media have dubbed the "Pub Taxis" affair.
"It's a bad custom, especially when it comes to accepting money and goods, which is outrageous," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told reporters.
One finance ministry official received up to 1 million yen ($9,278) from taxi drivers over five years, Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told a news conference.
Japanese bureaucrats typically work late into the night and often find they cannot get home by train or subway.
"It is truly regrettable that a large number of ministry employees were involved in this, and I deeply apologise to the people," Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga said in a statement.
The taxi affair and other talk of wasteful public spending comes as Japan struggles to rein in its public debt and contemplates raising the 5 percent sales tax, a politically touchy possibility.
Once admired as the cream of Japan's elite, finance and other ministry bureaucrats have come under fire in recent years after a series of scandals.
Several other top finance ministry officials will also return part of their salaries to atone for the scandal.
Of the 600 ministry officials found to have received favours, one was suspended for three months, 11 will get salary cuts and others received reprimands of varying degrees of severity.
If you are young, have a hectic social life where you drink and party, and have applied for a job, chances are you will lose out to someone who is a teetotaler.
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