Japan teen's $54K bar tab does not have to be repaid, judge says

A Japanese teenager charged $54,000 on booze on his father's American Express card and a Kyoto District Court judge says he does not have to pay it all back, Examiner reported.

Of the $54,000 (5.5 million yen), the 16-year-old's father is responsible for paying 800,000 yen, or $783.70. No word yet on whether the boy's father plans to punish him.

The boy and his friends took the card and swiped through an evening of luxury lounges in Kyoto, racking up charges for $3,700-bottle Champagne and whisky, Japanese sources said.

The spender was not identified by name because of his age but club owners did not ask for his name, either. The Kyoto court determined that the club owners did not verify the ownership of the card when the boy went to charge, and are therefore responsible for the charges.

The credit card company was also implicated in the case for allowing the charges.