Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Kosuke Ito asked a senior official of the state-backed corporate bailout agency last June to meet the head of a property developer now accused of selling structurally unsound condominiums, according to sources.
Following the request, the head of the planning coordination office of the Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan met Huser Ltd. President Susumu Ojima, who expressed hope for a successful bid in an IRCJ tender to purchase a hotelier, they said Tuesday.
The IRCJ official told Ojima it was impossible to grant any favors in the tender, and apparently none was given, but Huser won the contract months later despite making the highest bid, the sources said.
Ito, a Lower House member and ex-Cabinet minister, is already known to have visited senior officials of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, along with Ojima on Nov. 15, two days before the ministry went public with details about the defective buildings.
Ito's office said it had received a phone call from Huser and referred it to IRCJ, but claimed it makes a good-faith effort to assist anyone who requests help.
Ojima declined comment on the matter. The IRCJ official declined to respond to specific questions, but said tenders had been held fairly.
