Kyoto Bus Driver Loses Retirement Pay Over Minor Embezzlement, Supreme Court Upholds Dismissal
A Kyoto city bus driver, after 29 years of service, has lost his entire retirement allowance of 12.1 million yen (approximately $80,000 USD) following a Supreme Court ruling. The driver was dismissed in March 2022 for pocketing a 1,000-yen fare (about $7 USD) and using an e-cigarette on duty. Initially, the Kyoto District Court upheld both the dismissal and the forfeiture of his retirement pay. However, the Osaka High Court later ruled that while the dismissal was proper, stripping him of his retirement allowance for a $7 infraction was disproportionate, especially given his otherwise clean record over nearly three decades. The City of Kyoto appealed this decision to the Supreme Court. On April 17, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the High Court's ruling, deeming the withholding of the allowance lawful. The court stated that pocketing public funds constituted 'serious misconduct' that 'significantly damaged the public’s trust in the bus business,' emphasizing that the issue was not the amount but t... 
