An underworld figure on Jan. 10 denied playing any part in the February 1994 fatal stabbing of Juntaro Suzuki, 61, managing director of Fuji Photo Film Co.Masaomi Ito, 42, claimed during the first hearing of his case before the Tokyo District Court that he never collaborated with the 30-year-old mobster convicted of killing Suzuki. That man, whose name was not provided, is serving a 10-year prison term.In their opening remarks, prosecutors said Ito had been in frequent contact with a "sokaiya" corporate extortionist group and that one of its members hurled a whiskey bottle at Suzuki during a general shareholders' meeting after the Fuji chief halted sokaiya payments after being promoted to chief of the firm's general affairs department. The prosecution further alleged that Ito gave Suzuki's address to the mobster convicted of killing him and told the man to hurt the Fuji executive.
