Tokyo Olympics bribery arrests widens to third Japan sponsor

TOKYO, Sep 28 (Japan Today) - Bribery allegations against a former Tokyo Olympics organizing committee member ensnared a third company that sponsored the Games, as Japanese prosecutors “re-arrested” Haruyuki Takahashi for the third time Tuesday.

The latest allegations of dubious payments center on 15 million yen Takahashi and another official received from Daiko Advertising Inc, based in Osaka, central Japan, Tokyo District Prosecutors said in a statement.

The arrests, coming on the same day as the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which is drawing foreign dignitaries including IOC President Thomas Bach and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, underline the determination of the prosecutors to get to the bottom of the Olympic scandal.

Japanese culture usually favors “saving face,” and embarrassment on the international stage tends to be avoided. The arrests are also likely a setback for Japan’s ambitions in bidding for the 2030 Winter Olympics for Sapporo.

A Daiko official was also arrested. Daiko apologized for the arrests, “for the trouble to customers and stakeholders,” and promised to cooperate with the investigation.

Daiko is the third company in the widening Olympic scandal, after Aoki Holdings, a clothing company that dressed the Japanese Olympic team, and major publisher Kadokawa. ...continue reading

Source: テレ東BIZ

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