At least 520 officials of 13 government ministries and agencies have admitted to receiving gift coupons, cash or goods from drivers of taxis they used to return home at night at public expense, according to investigations by the ministries and agencies.

The Finance Ministry said Thursday that 383 ministry officials admitted they received cash or gift coupons from taxi drivers when they used a taxi to go home late at night, observers said.

As the results appear in an interim report of a ministry probe, further investigations likely will reveal that more officials were involved. The ministry will now investigate whether the cases uncovered violate the National Civil Service Law and ethics rules for public servants.

According to the ministry, one of its officials received cash, and 18 were given vouchers for goods or beer.

About 360 officials said they have been offered drinks such as beer and tea by taxi drivers. One official in his 30s, who holds a position equal to section chief of the Budget Bureau, said he received between 2,000 yen to 3,000 yen in cash or coupons about 150 times a year over the past five years, a total of more than 1.5 million yen in cash and vouchers.

The ministry conducted the investigation at the request of House of Representatives lawmaker Akira Nagatsuma, of the Democratic Party of Japan, who asked that all ministries and agencies investigate whether and to what extent officials have received gifts or cash when they used a taxi at public expense.

The probe carried out by the Environment Ministry looked into instances that occurred up to about 20 years ago. However, other ministries and agencies, including the Construction and Transport Ministry and the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, only investigated whether instances occurred over the past year, meaning that the number of officials concerned likely will increase if the probes are widened to include more years.

A gift of cash by a taxi driver to an official could be considered a rebate on fares, a violation of the Road Transportation Law. The construction ministry plans to interview taxi firms about the situation.

The Environment Ministry, where at least 11 of the 680 ministry officials have received beer coupons or drinks from taxi drivers, has decided to conduct a second investigation into its 1,100 employees at the ministry and related offices.

An official in his 20s used a taxi to go home on 34 nights in fiscal 2006, and received beer coupons totaling 15,000 yen and beer or snacks while in the car on eight occasions.

The taxi fare from the man's ministry office to his home was about 23,000 yen, and the official received all of the gifts from the same driver, who works independently.

One official even said he received such inducements 20 years ago, the ministry said.

At the International Affairs and Communications Ministry, where 19 officials have admitted receiving gifts or coupons from taxi drivers, an official in a position equal to an assistant division chief at the Administration Management Bureau said he received several QUO prepaid cash cards that can be used at convenience stores and other shops, worth 5,000 yen each, and had been served beer or snacks 20 times since fiscal 2003. Eighteen other officials said they had received beer and snacks, according to the ministry.

"We'll think about applying the Ethics in Government Law if necessary," Internal Affairs and Communication Minister Hiroya Masuda said.

The other officials concerned have been offered beer or snacks in a taxi.

Thirty-six officials were found to have been involved at the Construction and Transport Ministry, the second largest number following the Finance Ministry.

At the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, 13 officials have been offered beer a total of 139 times.

"Taxi drivers are of no interest to the ministry, so I don't think receiving beer from a taxi driver is a violation of public servant ethics rules," a ministry accounting division chief said. "But we'll think about how to deal with the issue by seeing how the Finance Ministry handles it."

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has not announced the results of its investigation. Health minister Yoichi Masuzoe merely said, "I'll announce the results as soon as I get them."

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga apologized after it was found that 383 Finance Ministry officials had received cash or gifts from taxi drivers, saying, "I feel really sorry that this has undermined public faith in officials."

Fukuda upset by findings

When asked about the issue Friday, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said: "I was surprised to find out that such things happen. Public servants must exercise self-discipline and act ethically. They should not engage in acts that could cause people to distrust them."

Meanwhile, Construction and Transport Minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Friday that receiving cash from a taxi driver might be regarded as a rebate on fares, and that the ministry would ask taxi companies if their drivers had violated the law.

The law prohibits drivers from repaying a part of a taxi fare to a customer.

"I think receiving gift coupons that can easily be turned into money also is problematic," Fuyushiba said.

Meanwhile, following the report by the Finance Ministry, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura slammed the practice of taxi drivers giving cash or coupons to officials.

"Such acts are never acceptable when they involve public servants," Machimura said at a press conference Friday. "The ministry should thoroughly investigate this matter and deal with the issue severely."

"We also should consider how to prevent officials doing overtime work late into the night. I think this is a fundamental part of the solution," Machimura added.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080607TDY02307.htm