The Defense Ministry says it has punished 93 members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, including its chief of staff, Adm. Akira Saito, for improperly receiving goods from four domestic shipbuilding companies.
Saito will lose 10% of his salary for a month to take responsibility for the scandal, while the remaining 92 personnel were reprimanded or given warnings.
"We deeply apologize for causing a scandal that has greatly undermined expectations and trust," Saito said at a news conference on Wednesday. "We will create an atmosphere in which members can say wrong things are wrong."
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