Prosecutors sought three years in prison and a ¥30 million fine Wednesday in a Tokyo District Court trial session for a former defense consultant charged with evading some ¥99 million in income taxes.
Naoki Akiyama, 60, former executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange, made use of his position to exert influence on the selection of contractors for a government project to dispose of abandoned chemical weapons in China, the prosecutors said.
The defendant evaded taxes on payments from companies that Akiyama recommended to the then-Defense Agency and other official bodies, they said.
The companies he recommended include defense equipment trading firm Yamada Corp., Kobe Steel Ltd. and Hitachi Ltd.
Akiyama hid some ¥314 million in consulting fees from four companies over four years to 2006, according to prosecutors.
He has pleaded not guilty to tax evasion but admitted to a charge of document falsification in a case unrelated to tax evasion.
Akiyama was well connected to politicians and defense contractors both in Japan and the United States.