Tottori Gas announced that its former president had admitted to misusing the corporate card and other assets for personal purposes, involving approximately ¥310 million. Under the new management structure, the company acknowledged deficiencies in corporate governance and said it would proceed with further investigation and action.
Tottori Gas disclosed misconduct by its former president, Kojima Taichi (児嶋 太一), saying that he had used the company's corporate card for personal purposes since 2023 and had entered into a vehicle lease agreement without authorization, among other actions, resulting in the personal misappropriation of approximately ¥310 million in total. The company said it would consider filing a criminal complaint depending on the findings of its investigation.
At a press conference, the company disclosed that approximately ¥1 billion had been transferred from Kojima's account to personal bank accounts without board approval, and said the full amount had been repaid. The board passed a motion to dismiss him on 14 September, and Sato Yoko (佐藤 陽子) took office as the new president.
The new president, Sato Yoko (佐藤 陽子), said she deeply regretted the lenient judgment applied to misconduct by people close to the company, management complacency and insufficient awareness of legal compliance, and said the company would establish a clean and sound structure. Former president Kojima said through his lawyer that he disagreed with the factual understanding and legal assessment of the matter.