A Russian affairs expert and his former Foreign Ministry colleague were indicted Tuesday on charges of using more than 33 million yen in funds earmarked for an international aid panel to pay for a trip to Israel.
The two men charged with breach of trust are Masaru Sato, 42, a Russian affairs specialist with strong ties to disgraced lawmaker Muneo Suzuki; and Akira Maejima, 37, a former assistant director of the Foreign Ministry's Oceanian Division.
The pair were arrested May 14.