Osaka has strict smoking laws, including a total ban on smoking in government premises and during work hours for government employees.
A civil servant in Osaka was fined $11,000 and had a 10% pay cut for smoking on the job more than 4,500 times in 14 years, despite warnings.
The civil servant violated the "duty of devotion" under the Local Public Service Act and was asked to return 1.44 million yen of his salary.
Similar incidents have occurred in Osaka in the past, including a high school teacher who was asked to pay back one million yen of his salary for taking illicit smoke breaks during work hours.