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Fraud by Certified Public Accountants in Japan and the United States

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Abstract

In recent years, Japanese and American societies have been beset by massive corporate scandals involving accounting firms and their certified public accountants (CPAs). These scandals included major accounting frauds by CPAs and have led to deep distrust of corporate accounting in both societies. This paper provides a detailed probe into three major financial scandals in Japan and United States: Enron, Kanebo, and Livedoor. Case histories are used to highlight both the characteristics of frauds perpetrated by CPAs as well as the social reactions to these economic crimes in Japan and the US. Finally, the paper outlines similarities and differences in CPA frauds perpetrated in both countries and considers how cultural variations play a major role in producing these outcomes.

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Acknowledgments

The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to Professors Henry Pontell and Gilbert Geis for their kind assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, Waseda University, 1-6-1 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan

    Tokikazu Konishi

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  1. Tokikazu Konishi
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Correspondence to Tokikazu Konishi.

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Konishi, T. Fraud by Certified Public Accountants in Japan and the United States. Asian Criminology 5, 99–107 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-010-9089-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-010-9089-0

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