Fraudulently Received Japan Employment Subsidies Reach 13.5 B. Yen

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--The amount of fraudulently received Japanese government subsidies aimed at helping companies maintain employment reached 13.5 billion yen at the end of September, up from 9.3 billion yen three months earlier, according to a labor ministry survey.

The simplification of application procedures and the raising of the cap on the amount of subsidy payment as a special measure amid the COVID-19 pandemic apparently led to the large amount.

The aid scheme is designed to subsidize part of leave allowances paid by companies to their workers.

The survey covered fraudulent cases discovered in April 2020 and later, or after the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, including those involving emergency aid for nonregular workers who are not covered by employment insurance.

Many cases were uncovered through internal reporting and on-site investigations by local labor bureaus. Observers say the actual amount of fraudulently obtained employment adjustment subsidies is believed to be even higher.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]