Jiji Press said on the 5th that a male employee in his 20s took practice baseballs without permission while covering the spring camps of four professional teams in February and sold them on a flea market site. The employee belongs to the photo department of the newsroom's visual center, the company said.
The company quoted its president as calling the conduct "an act that can never be permitted for someone engaged in reporting." Jiji Press did not say how many balls were taken, what they sold for, or whether the employee has been disciplined.
The admission comes from an organization whose business is reporting on the misconduct of others. Jiji Press supplies news to media across Japan, and its reporters and photographers cover police, courts and corporate affairs as part of that work.