The Sept. 14 arrest of the chairman of publishing conglomerate Kadokawa sent shock waves through the Japanese media world, as one of its most powerful moguls now faces charges of bribery in connection with the Tokyo Games.
The Tokyo District Prosecutors office says Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, 79, gave a total of ¥76 million to Haruyuki Takahashi, a former executive of the Tokyo Organising Committee, via a consulting firm run by a friend of his, Kazumasa Fukami.
The charges against Kadokawa only apply to ¥69 million of the alleged bribes, as payments made prior to 2019 fall outside the three-year statute of limitations for bribery charges. The ¥69 million was paid to Fukami’s firm between September 2019 and January 2021.