Japan's communications ministry, now at the center of wining-and-dining scandals, says another senior official was treated to expensive meals by telecom giant NTT.
In a briefing for opposition lawmakers on Thursday, ministry officials said the director-general of the ministry's global strategy bureau, Makiguchi Eiji, was also entertained by NTT.
The revelation comes after Taniwaki Yasuhiko, vice minister for policy coordination at the ministry, was disciplined for being wined and dined by a satellite broadcaster. Taniwaki later admitted that he was also treated to expensive meals by NTT executives.
The ministry officials apologized for inviting people's doubts, and expressed intent to continue investigating the scandals.
Some opposition lawmakers called the ministry's investigation insufficient, given that another scandal has emerged following an initial probe. Others urged the ministry to more extensively investigate wining and dining related to a wider range of officials of the ministry and businesses.
The ministry officials at the briefing said they will take seriously the revelation of new information and reinvestigate the matter more thoroughly.
Source: ANNnewsCH
