Dentsu Raided over Alleged Tokyo Games Test Event Bid-Rigging

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)--Japanese prosecutors and antitrust officials raided advertising agency Dentsu Inc. on Friday over suspected bid-rigging for contracts related to test events for last year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Investigators from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office and the Fair Trade Commission jointly searched some locations, including the head offices of Dentsu and event company Cerespo Co. <9625>, both in Tokyo, on suspicion of violating the antimonopoly law.

They suspect that Dentsu, Cerespo and others prearranged winners of competitive bids for planning and planning assistance services for test events at Games competition venues, which were ordered by the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee in 2018.

Earlier this year, prosecutors searched Dentsu as part of their investigation into allegations that Haruyuki Takahashi, a former organizing committee executive who once worked for the ad agency, received bribes linked to Games sponsorship contracts.

Dentsu, which played an influential role in the Games as the exclusive marketing agency for the organizing committee, is suspected of leading the bid-rigging.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]