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Aomori city gives public funds to officials for private trips+
AOMORI, Japan, Nov. 9 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The municipal government of Aomori has provided grant money from public funds for officials to take private trips, including family vacations to Tokyo Disneyland, since fiscal 2001, it said Monday.
The amount of the grants between fiscal 2004 and 2008 totaled around 80 million yen, it said.
Grants of up to 50,000 yen through fiscal 2005 and up to 25,000 yen since then have been disbursed through the mutual aid group of the officials for trips to Tokyo Disneyland, Hokkaido and other places.
"I don't think the city residents would approve of this practice," Aomori Mayor Hiroshi Shikanai said. "We will review it from now."
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry has asked the local government to review the practice of providing public funds to the mutual aid group.
