A 53-year-old former municipal official of the city of Susaki, Kochi Prefecture, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of embezzling some 300,000 yen in taxes paid by citizens, local police said.
The suspect, Hirofumi Yoshioka, allegedly pocketed the money -- the fixed asset tax and national health insurance tax -- paid by three residents between June last year and late February. Yoshioka was in charge of receipts at the municipal office's tax affairs section at the time.
Yoshioka, who has been dismissed, has admitted to the allegations, according to police.
The incident came to light during an internal investigation conducted by the city government. The city filed a criminal complaint against Yoshioka on Friday.
The city's investigation suggests that Yoshioka has pocketed a total of some 7.54 million yen in taxes paid by 69 citizens. Police are looking into the other allegations.