A former managing director of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. who was arrested Thursday on suspicion of bribing lawmaker Yojiro Nakajima must have informed the firm's chairman and president of the matter, sources alleged Friday.
Sources close to the firm said Fuji Heavy was not the kind of company where huge amounts of money could be moved around without permission from higher levels of management.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office arrested Yasuyuki Kogure, 64, currently an auditor at Fuji Heavy, on suspicion of giving Nakajima 5 million yen on Oct. 31, 1996 -- when the politician was vice minister at the Defense Agency.
Investigative sources said prosecutors also suspect that several millions of yen were passed from the company to Nakajima before that date. A general election was held in October 1996.
Fuji Heavy allegedly asked Nakajima to use his position to help the firm when the agency selected companies to manufacture a prototype of the next-generation US-1A rescue plane for the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
According to statements made by those involved, Kogure, then managing director, separately informed Chairman Isamu Kawai, 76, and President Takeshi Tanaka, 62, about activities involving the development of the rescue plane for the MSDF.
Meanwhile, Nakajima's legal counsel informed the legislator Friday of the arrest of Kogure and the charges brought against the Fuji Heavy executive.