Palace fires employee for stealing cash from Japan's royal family
In an announcement on Thursday, the Imperial Household Agency identified the suspect as an employee in their 20s who was one of about 80 attendants assigned to the palace or the agency building to serve the daily needs of Naruhito and his family.
The case came to light in March during an internal investigation by the IHA that started in January when an assistant manager of the department noticed a discrepancy between the cash in the safe and the accounting book.
When an agency official detected the loss of 30,000 yen ($207) in late March, the suspect, who just ended an overnight duty, was asked about the matter. He admitted stealing cash due to financial difficulty, the Imperial Household Agency added.
The employee admitted to stealing a total of 3.6 million yen on a number of occasions from November 2023 to late March this year. He later returned the money by mid-April.
The theft is an embarrassment for the royal household and officials said it's been unheard of in modern history.
The money was part of a 324 million yen ($2.24 million) annual budget allocated as living expenses for the emperor, his wife Masako, their daughter Princess Aiko and Naruhito's parents — former Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.
The IHA said it had filed a criminal complaint to the palace police and formally dismissed the employee. The assistant manager in his 40s, who initially noticed the cash irregularity in January, was given a one-month salary cut over his lax accounting management, the IHA said.
IHA chief Yasuhiko Nishimura said the theft by the employee as a public servant and a staff serving the Imperial family was 'unthinkable' and 'extremely regrettable,' and apologized to the emperor and his family, NHK public television reported.
He pledged to tighten discipline among the palace staff, according to media reports.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
3 days ago
- Western Telegraph
Former Tenby mayor takes action over Imperial Hotel noise
Cllr Sam Skyrme- Blackhall says she has been contacted by locals complaining about the weekly Tenby Rocks event on the outdoor terrace of the newly renovated Imperial Hotel, Tenby. The six-hour club music set runs from midday until 6pm every Saturday and promises cocktails, endless ocean views and Ibiza classics from resident spinner, The Mammoth DJ. The Imperial reopened in May after undergoing a complete renovation, with Cllr Skyrme- Blackhall cutting the ribbon. The stunning listed building that has been a hotel for 120 years, opening in 1905. It closed during lockdown as owners Shearings Hotels went into administration. (Image: Kayak PR) Last year it was bought by Crest Hotels and since then its 52 ensuite bedrooms have been completely transformed. The popular DJ sessions on the hotel's sea view terrace overlooking South Beach started on June 28 and have been running every Saturday ever since. (Image: Western Telegraph) Cllr Skyrme- Blackhall says that she has raised the issue of noise pollution from the DJ sets with officers from Pembrokeshire County Council following complaints. 'They have met with the Imperial Hotel and proposed installing a noise limiter, which they [the hotel] have agreed to do,' she said. A noise limiter is a device that monitors the level of noise and cut off power if it exceeds a certain limit for more than five seconds. Pembrokeshire County Council said: 'Officers will work with all parties involved, including the business, to reach a suitable solution.' (Image: Western Telegraph) Cllr Skyrme- Blackhall said that the council also recommended that residents download the Noise App (2.0) to help monitor the situation. 'I hope that this won't be needed and that the hotel keeps music to acceptable levels so everyone can enjoy our beautiful town,' she added. Subscribe to the Western Telegraph today for news from Pembrokeshire you can trust. Sign up here: Why subscribe? Unlimited access to news articles Fewer ads and interruptions Reader rewards Puzzles Full access to our app The Imperial's resident DJ, The Mammoth DJ, posted on social media saying that the situation was now under control 'We have worked with the local council and residents to get this right as our intentions were never to upset anyone,' he said. 'We understand our volume level limits now and as this last Saturday demonstrated, we are working within the limits to ensure everyone has a great time.' (Image: Pexels/ David Bartus) He thanked people for their comments of support, adding: 'Tenby Rocks is a fabulous afternoon, and it really does rock! Why not pop in and see for yourselves?' Jason Hiley, managing director of Crest Hotels Group said that he had been overwhelmed by the positive response the Imperial had got both from guests and the wider public. 'Our aim was to bring something vibrant and different to Tenby, and we're grateful for the warm support we've received from the local community,' he said. 'As a responsible business, we're committed to listening and responding to feedback, and we want to ensure we strike the right balance for all stakeholders,' he said. He added that the hotel was 'taking proactive steps' to ensure its events 'enhance the town's atmosphere without causing disruption'. 'We welcome constructive dialogue and are taking steps to address concerns raised,' he said. 'At our core, we are a hotel for Tenby, and the local community remains incredibly important to us.'
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Reuters
How Canada's oil sands transformed into one of North America's lowest-cost plays
CALGARY, July 16 (Reuters) - Giant shovels, driverless trucks and a dog-like robot have all helped Canada's oil sands companies including Imperial Oil and Suncor become some of North America's lowest-cost oil producers, driving down overheads even as the worst inflation in a generation pushed U.S. shale costs up. As the global oil industry enters a downturn due to economic uncertainty related to U.S. tariffs policy and OPEC+ pumping more barrels, Canada's oil sands industry finds itself in a position of strength. In the years following the oil price crash of 2014-15, international oil majors including BP, Chevron and Total sold their interests in Canadian oil sands. At the time, they classified the Canadian operations as among their more expensive, and therefore less profitable, projects worldwide. They directed their capital to cheaper oil production, and favored U.S. shale for its quicker drilling time and returns. Since then, new technology and cost-cutting efforts have driven meaningful improvement in the industry's competitiveness that make oil sands among the cheapest producers, according to a dozen industry insiders and a Reuters analysis of the latest U.S. and Canadian company earnings. While U.S. shale companies are responding to this year's oil price downturn by dropping rigs, slashing capital spending and laying off workers, the oil sands' position of strength means Canadian companies have made virtually no changes to their previously announced production or spending plans. Some Canadian politicians are now calling for a new crude pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific coast, as part of a broader effort to strengthen the country's economy in the face of U.S. tariff threats. The lower crude prices this year have little impact on the Canadian oil sector, Cenovus CEO Jon McKenzie said in an interview earlier this year. "This is an industry that has become much more resilient through time," he said. In one example, two four-legged robots— each nicknamed Spot because of their dog-like appearance — prowl Imperial's vast 45-year-old Cold Lake operation in Alberta, conducting routine equipment inspections and maintenance such as heat exchanger optimizations, and oil/water tank interface monitoring. The Spots free up human workers for other work and save Imperial CDN$30 million ($22 million) a year, the company said. Exxon-owned Imperial ( opens new tab and its competitor Suncor ( opens new tab have also switched to autonomous mining vehicles, eliminating the need to hire drivers to transport oil sands ore. The switch has improved oil output productivity at Imperial's Kearl oil sands mine by 20% since 2023, the company said. Suncor operates a 900-tonne truck at its Fort Hills operation north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, which the company says is the world's largest hydraulic mining shovel. Suncor CEO Rich Kruger said the shovel's larger bucket and more powerful digging force deliver faster ore loading and less spillage. Oil sands producers have also made improvements in equipment reliability and performance. At Kearl, for example, Imperial has reduced expenses related to turnarounds — an industry term for the costly periods of required maintenance that often involve temporarily shutting down production — by CDN$100 million annually since 2021. The company cut the time between turnarounds from 12 to 24 months in 2024, and aims to extend that interval to 48 months in future. Suncor credits efforts including standardizing maintenance practices across mines and improving management of site water to get more production out of existing assets for contributing to the company's US$7 per barrel reduction in its West Texas Intermediate (WTI) break-even price in 2024 to $42.90. This long-term focus on cost-cutting means Canada's five biggest oil sands companies can break even — and still maintain their dividends — at WTI prices between $43.10 and $40.85, according to a Bank of Montreal analysis for Reuters. That means oil sands producers have lowered their overall costs by approximately $10 a barrel in about seven years. Oil sands had an average break-even price of $51.80/bbl between 2017 and 2019, according to BMO. In contrast, a recent Dallas Federal Reserve survey of over 100 oil and gas companies in Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana found that shale oil producers need a WTI oil price of $65 per barrel on average to profitably drill. Back in 2017-2019, U.S. shale producers had a break-even price of between $50 and $52 per barrel. Part of the reason that the oil sands industry has become so cost competitive is the nature of the extraction process. Producing the thick, sticky oil that is found in the sands of Alberta is in some locations more akin to mining than oil drilling. Where the oil is very close to the surface, companies operate massive mines, scraping up huge volumes of sand and clay and then filtering out the oil. When the oil is deeper, companies inject steam underground to loosen the deposits and then use a drilling process. An oil sands mine has big initial start-up costs but once it is operational, it can run for decades with very low production decline rates. Canadian Natural Resources ( opens new tab, for example, at the end of 2024 had proved and probable reserves amounting to 20.1 billion barrels of oil equivalent in its portfolio, giving its oil sands mining and upgrading assets a remaining reserve lifespan of 43 years. The company's Horizon oil sands mine has been producing since 2009. Shale oil wells, by contrast, have low start up costs. Oil output from the wells, however, begins to decline within months. Prices have begun to climb because after years of heavy drilling in the top shale fields, the most productive areas have been exhausted. Drillers are moving onto secondary areas, so they have to drill more wells to achieve the same output and that has driven up costs. Canadian oil sands companies have also paid down debt in the past five years, allowing them to reallocate profits away from shoring up their balance sheets and towards rewarding shareholders with dividends and buybacks. According to the Bank of Montreal, oil sands producers Canadian Natural Resources, Suncor, Cenovus, Imperial Oil and MEG Energy ( opens new tab currently have combined net debt, excluding lease liabilities, of C$33.9 billion after paying down a combined total of almost C$22 billion in debt between 2021 and 2024. As returns grow, Canadian oil sands producers are an increasingly attractive investment for those looking to make money from the energy industry, said Kevin Burkett, portfolio manager with Vancouver-based Burkett Asset Management. "(Canada's oil sands) are not geopolitically risky, and they have some very appealing characteristics around productivity and costs," said Burkett, who has shares of Canadian Natural Resources and Cenovus in his portfolio.
Reuters
24-06-2025
- Reuters
China on track to exceed 2030 pumped storage hydro target by 8%, industry body says
SINGAPORE, June 25 (Reuters) - China is set to exceed its 2030 pumped storage hydropower target by more than 8% and potentially reach 130 gigawatts (GW) by the end of the decade, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) said on Wednesday. The world's second-largest economy added 7.75 GW of pumped hydro in 2024, bringing its total installed pumped hydro capacity to 58.69 GW, the IHA said in a statement. More than 200 GW of such projects are under construction, it added, accounting for a third of all such projects under development globally. China has called for even more investment in the development of energy storage, which is critical to help balance supply and demand when wind and solar farms produce too much or too little renewable electricity for the grid's distribution system to be able to handle. The country broke its own records for new wind and solar power installations again last year, hitting its 2030 target for those six years ahead of schedule. The government's disincentivisation of electricity use during peak demand times by raising prices has given storage providers including pumped hydro operators more chance to profit by selling stored power when they can charge more. Global hydropower capacity grew by 24.6 GW in 2024, including 16.2 GW of conventional hydropower and 8.4 GW of pumped hydro, the IHA said, adding that 475 GW of conventional projects are in various stages of development. "This year's world hydropower outlook shows that global new capacity is accelerating after several years of stagnation," IHA said in the statement. Despite the momentum, hydropower projects in the East Asia and Pacific region outside China face financing constraints, high upfront costs and long payback periods, limiting private sector involvement, the IHA said. "Regulatory and permitting delays are also hampering progress in countries such as Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam, where complex approval processes, land rights issues and environmental assessments create uncertainty," the IHA added.
