A police commissioner once responsible for cybercrime investigations across Japan was fired and faces prosecution over allegations he falsified overseas business expenses to embezzle public funds for his personal use.
The National Police Agency dismissed Ko Ikai, 55, on Sept. 10 after its investigation found he faked receipts on 50 occasions between July 2022 and April 2026 and illicitly received a total of about 1.73 million yen ($11,000) in reimbursements.
The Metropolitan Police Department referred Ikai’s case to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, accusing him of fraud, breach of trust and using fabricated sealed private documents.
EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR
The NPA said Ikai’s wrongdoing occurred while he served as a liaison officer at the European Police Office (Europol) in the Hague and later as the NPA’s cybercrime investigation division manager.
The NPA’s investigation found that Ikai used the improperly obtained money to cover entertainment costs, living expenses and spending related to a woman with whom he was having an affair.
That extramarital relationship started around 2020, the NPA said.
Ikai admitted to the allegations and repaid about 1.84 million yen, including late-payment charges, on Sept. 3, the NPA said.
“I wanted money that I could use freely. I apologize deeply for causing trouble to the public,” NPA investigators quoted him as saying.
Regarding the forged receipts, he reportedly said, “I kept doing it because they turned out better than I expected and the reimbursements were approved.”
FALSE CLAIMS, DOUBLE BILLING
The NPA said Ikai inflated the reimbursement claims on a work computer after importing and digitally modifying images of original receipts.
He altered the amounts and dates on the receipts for purchases of such items as Japanese sake that were provided as gratuities to officials who cooperated with Japan’s investigations at overseas law enforcement agencies, the NPA said.
Ikai also wrongly charged the government for meals with his subordinates, reporting these outings as meetings with investigative sources.
And despite receiving subsidies for social events hosted by overseas organizations, Ikai claimed the cost of food and other supplies for those events as investigative expenses, resulting in double billing, the NPA said.
The MPD also investigated Ikai’s case and sent documents to prosecutors concerning 13 instances related to receipt forgery involving a total of about 900,000 yen.
The misconduct came to light after Ikai’s successor as a liaison officer noticed suspicious handling of expenses related to the social events and reported the matter to the NPA.
TECH-RELATED POSTS
Ikai was a career-track technical official hired by the central government in 1995 after completing graduate school.
He held a number of key posts related to information and communications technology and also served as director of the administration department of the Tottori prefectural police.
He was dispatched to Europol in June 2022 as a liaison officer on a long-term overseas assignment from the NPA’s Cyber Police Agency.
After completing his liaison assignment in September 2025, he was appointed manager of the cybercrime investigation division.
OTHERS DISCIPLINED
The NPA also disciplined other officials who were responsible for overseeing investigative expenses during Ikai’s assignment to Europol.
The agency’s commissioner general issued formal warnings to two former managers of the cybercrime investigation division.
Two officials who served as deputy directors of the division, as well as the agency’s accounting division as an organizational unit, were issued administrative guidance.
The NPA removed Ikai from his post as cybercrime investigation division manager on June 26 after becoming aware of the suspected wrongdoing. He was attached to the commissioner general’s secretariat until his dismissal.
“Such conduct by a senior official responsible for ensuring the proper use of investigative funds is absolutely inexcusable,” said Tetsuya Yamamoto, chief personnel inspector of the NPA. “We will swiftly and thoroughly implement measures to prevent a recurrence and work to restore public trust.”
(This article was written by Shinpachi Yoshida, senior staff writer, and Shogo Mitsuzumi.)
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