THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 10, 2022 at 14:35 JST
Haruyuki Takahashi, a former board member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Prosecutors filed fresh charges against a former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee official over a widening bribery scandal that cast a deep shadow over the Games held in the Japanese capital just over a year ago.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office announced Nov. 9 it indicted Haruyuki Takahashi for a fourth time for receiving bribes in exchange for giving special consideration related to corporate sponsor operations and licensed product sales during the summer Games.
He maintains he is innocent of wrongdoing.
Executives of an advertising company and a stuffed doll manufacturer were also indicted the same day for providing the bribes to Takahashi, 78.
He is accused of accepting bribes from five companies. Two of his acquaintances have also been indicted for receiving bribes, while 12 corporate officials were handed indictments for paying out the bribes.
The total amount is in the region of 200 million yen ($1.4 million).
Shinichi Ueno, 68, the former president of ADK Holdings Inc., a leading advertising agency, and two subordinates were indicted on a charge of providing around 14 million yen in bribes, the amount covered by the statute of limitations.
Yoshihiro Sekiguchi and Taiji Sekiguchi, two former presidents of Tokyo-based Sun Arrow Inc., which was chosen to manufacture and sell stuffed dolls based on the mascots for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, were also indicted on suspicion of providing about 2 million yen in bribes.
Joji Matsui, a golfing buddy of Takahashi who once headed the consulting firm Amuse, was also indicted for allowing the company to receive about 20 million from ADK Holdings and about 7 million from Sun Arrow. The money is believed to have then been siphoned off to Takahashi.
In the three previous indictments, Takahashi was accused of receiving 51 million yen from apparel maker Aoki Holdings Inc., about 76 million yen from publishing company Kadokawa Corp. and about 15 million yen from advertising agency Daiko Advertising Inc.
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