 The exact wealth and expenditures of the Emperor and the imperial family have remained a subject of speculation, and were largely withheld from the public until 2003, when Mori Yohei, a former royal correspondent for the "Mainichi Shimbun", obtained access to 200 documents through a recently passed public information law.Mori's findings, which he published in a book, revealed details of the imperial family's US$240 million civil list (in 2003 values).Among other details, the book revealed the royal family employed a staff of over 1,000 people.