The Tokyo High Court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling sentencing former Vice Health and Welfare Minister Nobuharu Okamitsu to two years in prison for accepting about 60 million yen in bribes from a nursing home operator.
The court rejected an appeal by Okamitsu, 61, against the June 1998 Tokyo District Court ruling. The defendant had sought an acquittal, claiming the money he received from Hiroshi Koyama, former head of the Aya Welfare Group, was a loan.
The same district court sentenced Koyama to 18 months in prison, which was also upheld by the high court. Koyama, 55, also appealed. He had pleaded guilty but sought probation, claiming he gave the money to Okamitsu but did not ask him for any specific favor.
The district court also fined Okamitsu nearly 64 million yen and Koyama 2 million yen.
Judge Tomoo Araki said Okamitsu has "acted counter to his duties . . . and took a large amount of bribes."
Okamitsu is responsible for the public's loss of trust in government employees, the judge said.
The judge dismissed Okamitsu's claim that he did not do any favors for Koyama, saying the former vice health minister directly instructed a ministry official to help Koyama.
The judge also ruled out probation for Koyama, saying the district court ruling is appropriate.
According to the district court, Okamitsu took the bribes from Koyama from June 1992 to July 1995 in return for helping to secure state subsidies for Koyama's project to build nursing homes for the aged.
During the district court trial, Okamitsu admitted receiving money from Koyama but maintained that he regarded the cash as borrowed money that he meant to pay back.