The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday handed down a suspended sentence to a former welfare ministry official for taking bribes in connection with the My Number social security and tax number system.

Kazuyuki Nakayasu, 46, was found guilty of taking ¥1 million in bribes in 2011 to favor a Tokyo-based information technology company in winning computer system development contracts related to the My Number project.

Nakayasu was also ordered to pay a ¥1 million fine.

The court handed down a prison term of 18 months, suspended for four years.

“The loss of public confidence in a national policy is a grave consequence,” presiding Judge Takeshi Irie said.

But the court took a lenient view because Nakayasu admitted to the crime and expressed remorse.

According to the ruling, he took the cash in bribes from a former executive of the IT company in November 2011 for assisting the firm in winning two contracts worth a total of ¥210 million.

The three-year statute of limitations has expired for the corporate executive who allegedly paid the bribes.