The Associated Press

TOKYO — A Japanese firefighter who has driven trucks and ambulances hundreds of times over 20 years was sacked after it emerged he never had a driver's licence, an official said Tuesday.

The man's family was in on his secret and would drive him each day to and from the fire station, from where he would get behind the wheel of fire engines and ambulances.

But the firefighter in Takaoka, a city 300 kilometres (180 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was caught last week after he hesitated to show his licence during a routine inspection, fire department spokesman Shigeru Sawasaki said.

"An inspector thought he was looking awkward and yanked the driver's licence from his hand and discovered it was his father's," Sawasaki said.

The firefighter, who is in his 40s, was employed for some 20 years. During the five years to this March, for which records were available, he drove ambulances 309 times and fire trucks 97 times, city officials said.

The city cut the salaries of the fire department chief, his deputy and other senior officials by one-10th for one month as punishment.

The local government only began monthly licence inspections in November.

"We regret that we have operated on the presumption that firefighters have drivers' licenses," Sawasaki said.