Japanese educator embezzled $69,200 over four years to fund mobile game microtransactions

Mobile games sure are fun, but that’s no reason to steal money meant for education.

Mobile games can be addictive, often resorting to lottery mechanisms with low chances for players to get rare and powerful characters. And it seems Japanese gamers in particular are willing to shell out their hard-earned money, essentially making them the biggest spenders in the world when it comes to mobile games.

The urge to splurge on microtransactions can be overwhelming for some, and one Japanese male educator in his forties just couldn’t resist spending money on his favorite games. Problem was, the money used didn’t belong to him in the first place.

▼ The man was a deputy director who worked in
Kyoto University of Education from April 2015 to March 2018.

He managed the funds of an education support group during that time. But instead of safekeeping money paid by parents for student extracurricular activities and overseas studies, he continuously stole from it as if it were his private piggy bank.

The culprit transferred to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in April 2018, but as he didn’t hand over any transaction records to his successor, an investigation was launched.

After being confronted, he admitted that he embezzled a total of 7.7 million yen (US$69,213) to fund mobile game microtransactions and purchase secondhand premium plastic models. Expressing deep regret, the educator has since returned the full amount that was stolen.

▼ Miraculously, Kyoto University of Education decided not to press charges.

As politicians have been punished for misappropriating much less, letting this ex-deputy director off the hook so lightly just seems really strange. It’s unknown whether the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will take further action, but we sure hope justice will be meted out in some way for the sake of everyone.

Source: Asahi Shimbun via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2)

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