The admission is the result of efforts by a Shizuoka civic group that demanded an accounting of police spending in fiscal 1995.

Of the ¥13 million the force's administration division spent in fiscal 1995 on business trips, only ¥4 million was for legitimate purposes. Some ¥9 million was spent under false pretenses, police said.

Police will return half, including ¥3.5 million that was unaccounted for and interest, to the prefecture.

Among the illegal expenditures, ¥6.5 million was spent on bonuses, gifts or condolence money for officers, and furnishings and equipment for offices. Some ¥2.5 million was unaccounted for, they said.

The Japan Times Weekly: March 13, 2004
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