Ex-Tokyo Games Exec Seen to Face 4th Bribery Arrest Warrant

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--Public prosecutors are preparing to serve a fresh arrest warrant on Haruyuki Takahashi, a former Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee executive, for allegedly receiving bribes from a company that made and sold stuffed toys of the sporting events' official mascots, informed sources said Tuesday.

The arrest warrant will be the fourth for Takahashi, 78, in a series of bribery cases linked to the Tokyo Games, held last year.

Tuesday is the last day of Takahashi's current detention period.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office suspects that Takahashi received some 8 million yen in bribes from Sun Arrow Inc. in return for serving as a mediator for the Tokyo-based company to win a license contract.

The prosecutors are also questioning on a voluntary basis a 74-year-old former president of Sun Arrow, as well as a 75-year-old acquaintance of Takahashi who heads a consulting company to which payments of the alleged bribes were made.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]