Four members of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force were arrested last year on suspicion of fraudulently receiving allowances for diving training and duties, the MSDF said Thursday.
Prosecutors decided in December not to indict any of the four submarine rescue ship crew members, who were arrested the previous month by the MSDF's internal investigative unit. Among them, three were dismissed by November, and one voluntarily retired, according to the force.
The three dismissed members were among 74 MSDF personnel who had been disciplined for similar misconduct, according to a Defense Ministry announcement last Friday. Of the 74, 11 were discharged, 48 were suspended and six were given pay cuts, while the others were admonished or warned.
The failure to disclose the arrests is likely to draw further criticism against the ministry and the Self-Defense Forces, which have already been hit by a spate of scandals.
According to the ministry, most of the 74 MSDF personnel illegally pocketed allowances for diving training they did not actually participate in, among other actions, between April 2017 and October 2022.
The latest scandals involving the SDF and the ministry also include mishandling of classified information, abuse of power, and eating and drinking in base cafeterias without paying.
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