The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling in which former Construction Minister Kishiro Nakamura was handed an 18-month prison term and fined 10 million yen for accepting a bribe of the same amount from a construction company.
Nakamura, 52, is now an independent lawmaker, having left the Liberal Democratic Party after the scandal broke in 1994. Out on bail, he has refused to give up his Diet seat even after being found guilty.
The Tokyo District Court concluded in October 1997 that he accepted a bribe from Kajima Corp. in return for blocking a government bid-rigging probe.