Japanese police on Friday arrested a Treasury official involved in coordinating policies with the central bank over assault charges, the NHK broadcaster reported. Heihachiro Ono, 56, the deputy minister for policy and coordination at the Ministry of Finance (MOF), was drunk when he was arrested just after midnight, NHK said, citing sources of investigation. He allegedly beat and kicked another passenger on the train, he said.
Tokyo police and Japan’s top government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, have refused to confirm the arrests, which have been widely reported in the mediaof the Board ofJapan (BOJ) for two-day policy-setting meetings as a financial service representative. Representatives of the government express their views at meetings and may delay vote if they have problems with the board’s decision.
