Tokyo Olympics bribery scandal continues; the corporate apologizes

Takeshi Natsuno, president of Japanese leisure firm Kadokawa, bowed deeply together with two different executives in a present of regret at a information convention. He mentioned the corporate had “seriously betrayed the public trust”. Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, the founder’s son, was arrested in September on suspicion of bribing Tokyo Olympic organizing committee member Haruyuki Takahashi with 69 million yen ($480,000).

The Kadokawa Group was chosen as an Olympic sponsor and printed applications and guidebooks for the Games.

Takahashi is a former govt at Japanese promoting firm Dentsu, which performed a key function within the 2013 Olympics for Tokyo, after which grew to become the advertising and marketing arm of the Tokyo Games.

Takahashi was arrested and launched from jail after being imprisoned for about 4 months. Japanese media say he denies the allegations of corruption.

He additionally confronted allegations of bribery in relation to a number of firms linked to the Tokyo Olympics: Aoki Holdings, a clothes firm that outfitted Japan’s Olympic staff; Daiko Advertising Inc., ADK Marketing Solutions, and Sun Arrow, which created the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic mascots, Miraitowa and Someity.

Any trial is more likely to proceed slowly as a result of the Japanese courtroom course of is drawn out, and contain greater than a dozen individuals.
Prosecutors say Takahashi acted in favor of firms with sponsors and different advantages associated to the Olympics in trade for kickbacks.

Prosecutors say that along with the bribery scandal, a separate investigation is underway into bid-rigging and the collection of venues for the Olympic check occasions.

Corruption allegations spreading round Tokyo have put the northern Japanese metropolis of Sapporo’s bid for the 2030 Winter Games on maintain. Sapporo was thought-about the favourite for 2030, partly due to Japan’s credibility and the large expense of holding the delayed Tokyo Games.

The Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee has named Salt Lake City as the only real candidate to host the 2030 Games.
Salt Lake organizers have mentioned they would favor 2034, not eager to immediately comply with Los Angeles, which is able to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The official price ticket for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics was $13 billion, though a authorities audit prompt the precise value might be twice that. About 60% of Tokyo Olympic spending was public funding.

The Games have been postponed by a yr because of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been held in 2021.