Former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya started his 30-month prison sentence Tuesday for bribery and perjury.
On Aug. 27, Moriya, 65, withdrew an appeal he had filed with the Supreme Court against a lower court ruling that also ordered him to pay about ¥12.5 million in fines.
The ruling said Moriya accepted golf invitations worth ¥8.86 million and received about ¥3.64 million in cash from a defense contractor in return for exercising his influence on defense equipment purchases between August 2003 and April 2007.
It also said Moriya committed perjury in his Diet testimony on the bribery scandal.
The Tokyo High Court last October sentenced Motonobu Miyazaki, a former managing director of defense contractor Yamada Corp., to 18 months in prison for bribing Moriya.