Overview
- The Tokyo District Court sentenced Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, 82, to two and a half years in prison, suspended for four years, for bribing a Tokyo Olympics official.
- Judge Yoshihisa Nakao said the conduct left a stain on the history of the Games, finding that Kadokawa approved the scheme to boost the publisher’s brand.
- The court determined he worked with two former subordinates to pay Haruyuki Takahashi about 69 million yen between September 2019 and January 2021 for preferential treatment.
- Prosecutors sought a three-year term, arguing Kadokawa directly approved cash payments, while his defense maintains he was not consulted and lacked authority.
- With this ruling, 12 people have been found guilty in the wider probe that saw 15 indictments across five companies, including Aoki Holdings, tied to payments to Takahashi.