Photo/Illutration Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, chairman of Kadokawa Corp., takes questions from reporters on Sept. 5 in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. (Pool)

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Oct. 4 indicted Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, chairman of the Tokyo-based publisher Kadokawa Corp., on charges of bribing an official of the Tokyo Games organizing committee.

Kadokawa, 79, who has denied the charges, released a statement the same day saying he will resign from his post.

“Not only I but two employees of Kadokawa have been arrested and indicted, and I take these circumstances very seriously and think that I need to take responsibility,” Kadokawa said.

“This incident is a difficult challenge for Kadokawa, and the company needs to face it with new management,” he added.

Kadokawa also said in the statement, “I myself have never been involved in bribery at all.”

“In the criminal trial, I hope to find out what the truth is and make it clear that I am innocent. I will do everything in my power to do so,” he said.

Prosecutors arrested Kadokawa on Sept. 14, along with two Kadokawa officials, Toshiyuki Yoshihara, 64, a former executive managing director, and Kyoji Maniwa, 63, a director.

The two were indicted in September.

According to sources, Kadokawa colluded with the two and asked Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, a former executive of the organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Games, to have the company be named an Olympic sponsor.

They also asked Takahashi that the amount of support money that the company would pay to be limited to under 380 million yen ($2.6 million) and speed the contract process.

The company was named an Olympic sponsor in April 2019.

The company then signed a consulting deal with Commons2 Inc., a Tokyo-based consultancy that Takahashi’s long-time acquaintance Kazumasa Fukami, 73, runs. It paid the company about 69 million yen from September 2019 to January 2021.

Kadokawa became the president of Kadokawa Corp. in 1993, and has served as the chairman since 2005.

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