The first trial of three former executives, including the former chairman of AOKI Holdings, a major menswear company, accused of bribing a former director of the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in a corruption case involving sponsorship contracts for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. will open on the 22nd.
It is the first time that a trial has been held in a series of corruption cases, and attention will be paid to what was happening behind the scenes of the tournament and how far the reality of the collusion will be clarified.
Former AOKI Holdings chairman Hironori Aoki (84), the former chairman's younger brother and vice chairman Takahisa Aoki (76), and former senior managing executive officer Takehisa Ueda (41) are three people who have been involved in the Tokyo Games. He has been charged with bribery by giving a bribe of 28 million yen to Haruyuki Takahashi (78), a former director of the organizing committee, for the purpose of obtaining convenience for sponsorship contracts.
In response to an investigation by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Department, former chairman Aoki stated that he was an important person within the Organizing Committee, so he paid the money in anticipation. The content is likely to be accepted.
A total of 15 people, including the founders and top management of five major companies in the industry, including KADOKAWA and ADK Holdings, including former director Takahashi, who is accused of accepting bribes, have been indicted over the Tokyo Games.
This is the first time that a trial has been held over a series of cases, and attention will be paid to what was happening behind the world's attention and how far the reality of the collusion will be clarified.
The first trial is scheduled to be held at the Tokyo District Court on the afternoon of the 22nd.
The background and focus of the incident
A corruption case set at a global sports festival.
A total of 15 people have been indicted on five routes.
A series of incidents began in July this year.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Department has been accused of receiving funds in the name of consulting fees from the sponsor of the tournament, AOKI Holdings, to a company represented by defendant Haruyuki Takahashi (78), a former director of the tournament organizing committee. We searched the director's home and related places and embarked on a compulsory investigation.
The following month, former director Takahashi was arrested on suspicion of bribery, and three executives, including the founder of AOKI Holdings and former chairman Hironori Aoki, were arrested on suspicion of bribery.
Former Executive Director Takahashi was a former managing director of the major advertising company Dentsu, and was widely known as a leading figure in the sports business in Japan, and was said to be a key man in the bid for the Tokyo Games.
The Special Investigation Department suspected that former director Takahashi had gained illicit profits due to his influence. The founders and top management of the company "Daihiro", the major advertising company "ADK Holdings", and the company "Sun Arrow", which manufactured and sold the stuffed animals used as the tournament mascots, were arrested one after another.
Former director Takahashi has been indicted four times for accepting bribes, and the total amount of bribes he received is said to be close to 200 million yen.
The ripples of the incident have spread, and it is affecting the city of Sapporo's bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Seiko Hashimoto, former minister in charge of the Liberal Democratic Party's Olympic and Paralympic Games, who serves as chairman of the parliamentary federation aiming to host the Games, acknowledged on the 1st of this month that the bid to Sapporo is in a very difficult situation following the incident.
On the 20th, the city of Sapporo will suspend its active activities to foster momentum, such as holding events, for the time being. It shows the idea to move forward.
Former director Takahashi is believed to have claimed that the incident involving AOKI was a fair compensation for consulting services, and he has denied wrongdoing in other cases as well, and no date has been set for the trial.
The trial on the 22nd will be the first in a series of cases.
The focus is on how much the sponsor selection process and the specific exchanges between former director Takahashi and AOKI Holdings will be revealed.
“Insufficient compliance check”
The former chairman of AOKI Holdings was arrested and prosecuted.
Founded in 1958, it is a major menswear company, and last year's group sales totaled 154.9 billion yen.
Since becoming an official supporter of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2018, in addition to working on the official wear for Japanese athletes who participated in the tournament, we have also promoted sales linked to the tournament, such as selling jackets with the emblem of the tournament. I was putting in the effort.
In response to the incident, in September, we set up a "Governance Verification and Reform Committee" made up of lawyers, certified public accountants, and outside directors, and are investigating the cause of the incident and considering measures to prevent recurrence.
In October, the company announced its recognition of the incident, and in this, when concluding or renewing a contract with a consulting company run by former director Takahashi, it was not confirmed whether the former director was a "deemed public employee." The company explained that it was sufficient, and that there was insufficient confirmation that the services provided by the consulting company were satisfactory in terms of compliance.
As measures to prevent recurrence, we will review the system for evaluating whether there are any compliance problems in transactions with new business partners, further strengthen internal audits regarding transaction risk assessment, We are redeveloping training programs for members, so we will continue to consider responses based on the committee's recommendations and add initiatives as necessary.