A former senior education ministry official was indicted Tuesday on suspicion he accepted a favor from a private university last year in return for helping it secure a government subsidy.
Futoshi Sano, 59, former director-general of the ministry's science and technology bureau, is accused of helping Tokyo Medical University secure the subsidy in exchange for the admission of his son into the school. Sano has denied the allegation, saying he was not in a position to influence which universities received subsidies, a source close to the matter said.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office also indicted Masahiko Usui, former chairman of the university's board of regents, and Mamoru Suzuki, its former president, on suspicion they bribed Sano. Koji Taniguchi, former executive of a medical consulting firm, was indicted over complicity in the alleged crime.