Ex-Kadokawa Chairman Found Guilty of Tokyo Games Bribery

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced an 82-year-old former chairman of major publisher Kadokawa Corp. to two and a half years in prison, suspended for four years, in a high-profile bribery case related to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021.

Public prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of three years for Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, who pleaded not guilty and argued that he was falsely charged. The defense plans to appeal the sentence.

According to the ruling, the former chairman conspired with two former company officials to ask Haruyuki Takahashi, an 81-year-old former executive of the Tokyo Games organizing committee, for favors in the selection of sponsors and other matters. The two former officials have also been found guilty.

The company side allegedly paid a total of 69 million yen to Takahashi between September 2019 and January 2021.

In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Yoshihisa Nakao said that the testimonies of former company officials, including a 68-year-old former managing director, were "natural and reasonable" and "consistent with the situation at the time." The officials said that they had reported the payments to Kadokawa and had received his approval.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]