Allegations surfaced that the former president of 鳥取ガス, a city-gas company in Tottori, had misappropriated company funds for personal use. As a result, the presidency changed from the younger brother to his biological elder sister. The amount misappropriated is reportedly approximately ¥1.4 billion, of which approximately ¥1 billion has been repaid.
It has been reported that from 2023 through August 2026, funds belonging to the group were misappropriated in an amount of at least approximately ¥1.4 billion through the personal use of corporate cards and transfers of funds by 鳥取ガス's former president, Kojima Taichi (児嶋太一). In response, the board removed Kojima Taichi (児嶋太一) from the presidency.
As part of the misappropriation, Kojima Taichi (児嶋太一) allegedly used a company credit card to spend approximately ¥310 million on luxury-brand goods and transferred approximately ¥1.08 billion or more to his own accounts and other accounts. Approximately ¥1 billion has been repaid as of now, but the detailed facts are expected to emerge through future investigations.
Kojima Taichi (児嶋太一)'s biological elder sister, Sato Yoko (佐藤陽子), became the new president. Sato Yoko (佐藤陽子) explained that the issue was caused by the "arrogance and complacency resulting from long-standing family-run management," but questions have again arisen about the nature of family-run management itself.
鳥取ガス has continued to be family-run for six generations since 1918. The incident is being viewed as a case that raises questions about the relationship between family-run management and corporate governance.