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Aoki's ex-chairman admits paying bribes for Tokyo Games sponsorship rights

TOKYO - The founder and former chairman of a business suit retailer has admitted that he paid bribes to win sponsorship rights for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The trial of Aoki Hironori and two others began at the Tokyo District Court on Thursday. It is the first trial to be held in a series of bribery cases related to the Games.

The two other defendants are the ex-chairman's brother and former vice chairman, Aoki Takahisa, and another former executive, Ueda Katsuhisa. They have also admitted to the charges.

The three are accused of paying bribes totaling 28 million yen, or about 210,000 dollars, to a former executive of the Tokyo Games' organizing committee, Takahashi Haruyuki.

Takahashi is a former executive of major advertising agency Dentsu, where he was in charge of sports marketing. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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