Photo/Illutration Prosecutors head to the home-cum-office of Haruyuki Takahashi, a former board member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward on July 26 to pursue suspicions of bribery. (Yuji Harada)

Tokyo prosecutors on July 26 searched the home-cum-office of a former board member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee over suspicions he accepted around 45 million yen ($330,000) in bribes from a company run by a business acquaintance.

The development prompted education minister Shinsuke Suematsu, who served as state minister of the Tokyo Olympics, to call the matter “extremely regrettable if it is confirmed.”

Addressing a news conference the same day, he said, “I am told that the organizing committee will respond and handle the (matter) appropriately.” He declined to comment further.

In deciding to conduct a “compulsory investigation," the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office searched not only the home of Haruyuki Takahashi in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, which serves as the headquarters of a consultancy he heads, but also the office of the firm in question. The latter is located in Tokyo’s Minato Ward.

Takahashi’s company signed a consultancy contract with Aoki Holdings Inc., a men’s apparel company based in Yokohama, an Olympic sponsor, in fall 2017, according to sources.

For this, Takahashi’s firm received a monthly retainer of 1 million yen for roughly four years until the year-long delayed 2020 Games ended in August 2021. It netted around 45 million yen from the arrangement, the sources said.

Takahashi, 78, became acquainted with Hironori Aoki, 83, the founder and former chairman of the apparel maker, around 15 years ago through sports-related business activities.

According to the sources, Takahashi suggested to Aoki, “Why don’t you become a Tokyo Olympics sponsor?” and Aoki readily replied, “Let’s do it!”

The apparel maker then made a pitch to act as principal sponsor for the Games.

In 2018, Aoki was named an “official supporter” of the Games, allowing it to sell Tokyo 2020 official licensed products such as business suits featuring the official Olympic emblem to the general public.

Aoki also produced uniforms for staff who were present at the Games.

The organizing committee for the Tokyo Games, established in January 2014, had up to 45 board members.

The committee’s rules do not allow board members and other officials to accept cash or gifts as they are regarded as public servants, and doing so could be construed as bribery in criminal law.

The board had the power to make decisions on the selection of sponsor companies as well as sales of official licensed products.

Takahashi, a former senior managing director of Dentsu Inc., a big name in advertising, became a board member in June that year and stayed in the post until last month when the committee was dissolved.

The committee employed around 7,000 people while the Games were held.

When contacted by The Asahi Shimbun for comment, Takahashi acknowledged that his firm received money from Aoki but said, “The consultancy contract had nothing to do with the Games.”

Takahashi also said he “never served at the convenience of (Aoki) by receiving money.”

Prosecutors have been questioning senior officials of Aoki on a voluntary basis since spring.

Aoki admitted that his company provided money to Takahashi’s firm but denied it was intended to grease the wheels of business. The sources quoted him as saying that all he hoped to gain professionally from Takahashi and his wide network of contacts in the sporting world was “introductions, among other things.” 

Suspecting the payments constituted a reward for the sponsorship deal of Olympic business, prosecutors are investigating how Takahashi was involved in the process of selecting Aoki as an Olympic sponsor.

Aoki, the former chairman, retired from that position this past June. He cited a need to strengthen the company’s governance system, among other reasons.

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