Photo/Illutration Haruyuki Takahashi, a former board member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee executive denied charges of allegedly receiving bribes totaling around 200 million yen ($1.4 million) related to the 2021 Summer Games.

“I plead not guilty to all charges,” Haruyuki Takahashi, 79, said at the first hearing held at the Tokyo District Court on Dec. 14.

He is accused of taking bribes through five avenues, including those in exchange for assisting companies in securing Olympic sponsorship contracts.

Takahashi was arrested and indicted four times between August and November last year and was released on bail in December.

At the beginning of the hearing, Takahashi said, “The payments I received were for services as a private consulting firm, purely business-related. They were not made as compensation for my duties as an executive.”

According to the indictment, Takahashi is alleged to have received bribes of about 51 million yen from apparel marker Aoki Holdings Inc. and around 76 million yen from publisher Kadokawa Corp. in return for helping the companies be selected as Olympic sponsors.

He is also accused of having taken about 15 million yen from advertising agency Daiko Advertising Inc. and around 47 million yen from advertising agency ADK Holdings Inc. in return for securing them subcontracts from advertising giant Dentsu Inc.

The organizing committee had commissioned Dentsu to select and sign up official sponsors. Dentsu had outsourced some of its tasks to other advertising agencies, designated as sales cooperation agencies.

In addition, Takahashi is alleged to have received about 7 million yen from Sun Arrow Inc., which was chosen to manufacture and sell Olympic mascot dolls.

15 INDICTED, 11 ALREADY CONVICTED

In the series of trials in connection with the scandal, 15 people have been indicted--Takahashi; 12 individuals, including top executives of companies charged with paying bribes; and two people accused of being accomplices in receiving bribes.

In the earlier hearing involving those accused of giving bribes, prosecutors argued that Yoshiro Mori, a former prime minister and former head of the organizing committee, had entrusted Takahashi with soliciting sponsors as a board member of the committee in charge of marketing.

Takahashi once worked as a Dentsu executive and was known as a leading figure in sports marketing.

Takahashi claims that what he did were his “duties” and that he was asked to approach Dentsu to secure subcontracts for companies offering bribes.

Eleven of the 15 defendants have already been convicted and their guilty verdicts have been finalized.

Among the remaining four, including Takahashi, Yoshikazu Taniguchi, 59, a former executive officer of Daiko, denied the charges of giving bribes.

Hearings for Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, 80, a former chairman of Kadokawa, and Kazumasa Fukami, 74, a former head of the consultancy firm Commons2 Inc., both charged with accepting bribes, have not yet begun. Both are expected to deny the charges.

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