The societies are blaming the education ministry for lax oversight.The brains of hundreds and thousands of individuals with no knowledge of accounting have been used since July in dealing with the fall-out of the bankruptcy.
Japan Society of Population Ecology Announcement
Phonetic Society of Japan AnnouncementDue to the recent financial scandal and bankruptcy of the office (Business Center for Academic Societies Japan) responsible for the Society's fund including the management of membership fees, we are currently seeking legal advice and in the process of transferring the Society's financial management to another organization.
Until recently, the Business Center for Academic Societies Japan (Nihon Gakkai Jimu Center) has been handling some of the business-related affairs of the Phonetic Society of Japan (e.g., management of membership fees). However, as reported in the media, the Center has recently declared bankruptcy, due to a scandal related to misappropriation of money from academic societies, and has therefore discontinued its services. The board of directors of the Phonetic Society of Japan has made every effort to minimize potential losses from this bankruptcy. However, unfortunately, Society money that is still deposited in the Center's account is not likely to be recoverable.