The first trial of former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Takamori Yoshikawa, who has been accused of bribery for receiving a bribe of 5 million yen in cash from a former representative of a major chicken egg production company in Hiroshima Prefecture during his tenure as minister, was held at the Tokyo District Court on the 3rd. It will be opened.
The former minister is expected to be acquitted, and the issue is whether he recognized the cash he received as a bribe.
Former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Takamori Yoshikawa (70) was the former representative of the major chicken egg production company "Akita Foods" in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, from 2018 to the end of his tenure. He has been accused of bribery for receiving a bribe of 5 million yen in total for cash three times.
According to people familiar with the matter, former Minister Hajime Yoshikawa has allowed him to accept cash, but he has denied the recognition that it was a bribe, so he will be acquitted at the first trial on the 3rd.
On the other hand, former representative Akita, who has been charged with bribery, has admitted that he was charged, and it is expected that the issue will be whether former Minister Yoshikawa recognized cash as a bribe in the trial.
Former Minister Yoshikawa has been undergoing surgery for heart disease after resigning from the House of Representatives due to poor physical condition last December, so it will be the first time on the 3rd to explain the case in public.
The first trial will be held at the Tokyo District Court from 1:30 pm.