Tottori Gas dismissed its former president for allegedly misappropriating company funds for personal use and disclosed that approximately ¥1 billion had been transferred to a personal account. The new president is his older sister, Sato Yoko (佐藤 陽子).
Tottori Gas held a press conference on 2 October and explained that its former president, Kojima Taichi (児嶋 太一), 47, had transferred approximately ¥1 billion from a company account to a personal account without obtaining board approval. The company also said he may have privately used a corporate card from 2023 through August 2026, misappropriating at least ¥282 million.
Following the incident, the company announced that the approximately ¥1 billion transferred had been fully refunded. The full extent of the private use of the corporate card has not yet been determined, and the company plans to consider filing a criminal complaint depending on the results of its investigation.
At a board meeting held on 14 September, Kojima (児嶋) was dismissed, and his older sister, Sato Yoko (佐藤 陽子), became the new president. The new president expressed her intention to strengthen governance to prevent a recurrence, while the former president commented that there was a dispute over the factual understanding and legal assessment of the alleged private use.
Future developments of interest include the results of additional investigations, whether a criminal complaint will be filed, and the specific details of measures to prevent a recurrence.