Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc., publisher of the Nikkei business daily, said Friday it has dismissed an editor involved in a case that pitted him against its president over management.
The paper sacked Shoji Otsuka, former editor in charge of the venture business market, Thursday on the grounds he had falsely accused Nikkei President Takuhiko Tsuruta of having a love affair and window-dressing at an affiliate.
The newspaper publisher said the dismissal was a result of an investigation that showed Otsuka's claims are false and that his action violated in-house rules for employees.
Tsuruta has filed a defamation suit against Otsuka, who won a 1995 journalism award for leading a team of reporters that first reported that the Bank of Tokyo and Mitsubishi Bank would merge into the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.
Otsuka presented a proposal to dismiss Tsuruta at a shareholders' meeting March 28, but the proposal was rejected.