Aoki Holdings founder Hironori Aoki pleaded guilty Thursday to offering ¥28 million in bribes to former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee executive Haruyuki Takahashi in exchange for having the suit company selected as a sponsor for the Games.
Thursday’s hearing at the Tokyo District Court was the first related to a series of scandals involving the Tokyo Games, which were held last year. To date, five bribery cases have been opened, leading to the indictment of 15 individuals, Aoki among them.
Aoki, 84, who previously served as chairman of Aoki Holdings, said "that is correct," when a judge asked if the allegations laid out by prosecutors were true, amounting to a guilty plea. Aoki had occasionally nodded as the prosecutors read out the indictment.