The lawmaker who spearheaded the country's casino resort policy was indicted Tuesday on a bribery charge and served with a fresh arrest warrant for allegedly receiving more money from a Chinese gambling operator than what was already suspected.
Tsukasa Akimoto, a former member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, was indicted on charges of receiving ¥3 million in cash at his office in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2017, the day the House of Representatives was dissolved for a snap election.
Along with the indictment, prosecutors served him with a fresh arrest warrant for allegedly receiving an additional ¥2 million from the Chinese company, 500.com Ltd., and in recognition that his trip worth ¥1.5 million to the company's Shenzhen headquarters in 2017 was also paid by the company and constituted bribery.