A former director of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, who has been accused of illegally passing his son by Tokyo Medical University in return for facilitating the selection of a national business, was sentenced by the Tokyo District Court on the 20th. Will be handed down.
The former director has pleaded not guilty to "never abused his authority to pass his son," and the focus is on whether the facility was provided and whether the university's response was a bribe.
Defendant Tadashi Sano (62), a former director of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, misrepresented his son four years ago in return for the convenience of Tokyo Medical University in response to a request from the government to select a project to support a private university. I have been accused of consignment of bribery because I was allowed to pass.
In addition, three people, including former president of Tokyo Medical University, Masahiko Usui (81) and former president, Defendant Satoshi Suzuki (73), have been accused of bribery.
At the trial, former director Sano insisted that he was not guilty of bribe, saying, "I have never been asked for advice or guidance regarding business selection. My son was able to pass without adding points to the university." All three, including the president, have pleaded not guilty.
On the other hand, the prosecutor's office said, "There was a recognition that we were trying to accommodate the advice by stopping it. It was malicious because it harmed the fair entrance examination." I am seeking a sentence of 2 to 1 year.
The ruling is scheduled to be handed down at the Tokyo District Court from 1:30 pm on the 20th, focusing on whether the former director, who was also seen as a candidate for future administrative vice minister, provided convenience and whether the university's response was a bribe. is.
Background of the incident and social impact
In July 2018, Defendant Tadashi Sano, who was the director of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, was arrested by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on suspicion of consignment bribery.
In May of the previous year when I was the chief of the secretariat, I was asked to select Tokyo Medical University as a target school for a private university support project. I was suspicious of receiving it.
Defendants Masahiko Usui, who was the president of the university, and Defendant Satoshi Suzuki, who was the president, were allegedly instructed to add the points for the entrance examination.
Only two days after the arrest of former Director Sano, the university held a press conference, revealing that former President Usui and former President Suzuki had submitted their resignations and resigned, and apologized.
Former Director Sano met former President Usui through defendant Koji Taniguchi, who was an officer of a medical consulting company, and gave advice on how to write application documents so that a university would be selected as a target for support projects when having a dinner at a restaurant in Tokyo. Former President Usui, former President Suzuki, and former officer Taniguchi were also charged with bribery.
The impact will spread and the situation will undermine the credibility of college entrance exams.
In the wake of the incident, Tokyo Medical University established an investigation committee on entrance examinations.
According to the results of the published internal investigation, it is said that former President Usui and others made a list of examinees who were requested to take advantage of it, and the chief of the academic affairs section in charge of entrance examinations illegally manipulated the score. In the general entrance examination of the Faculty of Medicine, it was said that an illegal addition was made in the primary examination for 6 people including the son of former director Sano.
In addition, in the essay of the second examination, the score was manipulated according to the gender and the number of ronin, and it became clear that the number of successful applicants was suppressed without adding anything to women and students with 4 or more ronin. rice field.
In response to this situation, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology conducted an investigation into universities nationwide where medical schools are located to see if there was any fraud in past entrance exams, such as adding to specific examinees.
As a result, it was pointed out that a total of 10 universities, including one national university and nine private universities, were inappropriate entrance exams.
Many of the women and ronin were rejected, and former examinees complained of discrimination and filed a class proceeding against the university for compensation, which became a social problem.
Former director consistently insists on innocence
Former Director Sano has consistently insisted on his innocence in previous trials, and at the first trial in July, he thought that he wanted to pass his son even if he cheated. I swear to never. "
The point is the exchange at the dinner held at a restaurant in Tokyo in May 2017.
In the courtroom, former director Sano said, "Thank you again," for the son's examination as it was recorded at the dinner, and former president Usui responded, "I think it will be absolutely okay next year." Or, a voice saying "Please make a reservation at home" was played.
The prosecution said, "The former director general cut out the examination for his son, and former president Usui can add points at his own discretion and pass it. Then, the former director asks for advice and guidance on the support project. I did. "
He added, "It is probable that the former director was aware that he was trying to provide convenience by saying that he was giving advice on business selection."
On the other hand, the former director general said, "I didn't think that the story of" absolutely okay "was given preferential treatment by adding points," and claimed that he had never been asked for advice or guidance regarding business selection. ..
He totally denied that "the only thing I undertook at the dinner was the introduction of the person in charge of the window explaining the purpose of the business, and I declined after that. He has never tried to accommodate it." increase.
The prosecution's allegation that his son's passing is a bribe is also argued head-on, saying that the former director could pass without adding points to the university.
All three, including former President Usui, have alleged innocence, and the focus will be on how the court will determine whether there was a request from the university or whether the former director had taken advantage of it.