The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a prison sentence for former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya for taking bribes from a defense equipment trader.
Presiding Judge Tetsuji Nagaoka turned down Moriya's appeal against the Tokyo District Court's ruling in November 2008 that sentenced him to two years and six months in prison, with no suspension, and ordered him to return ¥12.5 million in the bribes he took from Yamada Corp.
Moriya, 65, can still file an appeal with the Supreme Court.
He was found guilty of helping Yamada sell defense equipment to the Defense Ministry in return for frequent golf outings and various forms of rewards.
He was convicted of receiving from former Yamada Managing Director Motonobu Miyazaki about ¥8.86 million worth of golf trips, including one-day outings, on 120 occasions from August 2003 to April 2007 as rewards for giving favorable treatment to the company in the procurement of defense equipment.
The equipment included General Electric Co. engines for Air Self-Defense Force transport planes.
He also received about $32,000 (roughly ¥3 million) from Miyazaki through wire transfers to the bank accounts of his wife and his younger daughter from May 2004 to February 2006.
