The Justice Ministry on Thursday took disciplinary action against two Tokyo Immigration Bureau officers over the padding of a bill related to their undercover investigation of foreign workers at a Kabukicho nightclub.
The officers are Mamoru Nagaoka, 51, former chief immigration security officer of the Tokyo bureau's third investigation section, and Kenji Yoshida, 46, former general security officer of the section.
The men reportedly spent 80,000 yen at the club while conducting an undercover probe of its operations. They ordered two bottles of whiskey and were entertained by more than five hostesses for three hours after 9 p.m.
Yoshida asked for a receipt worth 100,000 yen, however, and submitted the bill to the ministry. Yoshida was suspended for one month for carrying out the scam and Nagaoka received a one-month pay cut of 10 percent for overlooking Yoshida's conduct.
After the incident came to light on March 7, Yoshida and Nagaoka were immediately removed from their posts, although they still work for the bureau.
The incident surfaced following a tipoff from a man linked to the club.
As a result of the investigation, the immigration bureau on Feb. 26 rounded up 21 Koreans and Chinese who were illegally employed by the club, ministry officials said.
In carrying out the scam, Yoshida was trying to make up for 20,000 yen he had spent on food and drinks at a pub in the Jujo area of Tokyo shortly before embarking on the investigation.
Yoshida was at the pub with Nagaoka and two other security officers who were not involved in the probe.
The ministry handed out severe cautions to the two other officers, as well as to Nagaoka and Yoshida's two bosses.
It also reprimanded a senior security official who was in charge of the undercover investigation.