The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling ordering advertising giant Dentsu Group to pay ¥300 million in fines over bid-rigging related to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021.

The high court also maintained the Tokyo District Court's ruling that sentenced Koji Henmi, 57, former assistant head of the sports department of Dentsu — the group's core subsidiary — to two years in prison, suspended for four years.

The company and Henmi appealed the high court decision the same day.

According to the lower and high court rulings, Henmi conspired with a 58-year-old former senior official of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Games and others between February and July 2018 to preselect the winners of contracts for planning Olympic and Paralympic test events and managing venues for actual competitions.

In the appeal trial, the defense argued that Dentsu Group and Henmi were not involved in such a conspiracy.

Presiding Judge Kazunori Karei at the high court saw no error in the lower court's ruling, finding credible the testimony by the former senior committee official that Dentsu had been informed that winning the contracts for planning test events would lead to contracts for the actual competitions.

Karei also rejected the argument that the sentences were excessive, saying, "There is nothing unreasonable in the judgment, and it can't be considered unjust."

In connection with the case, prosecutors have indicted six companies including Dentsu Group and six individuals from the companies, as well as the former senior committee official, whose guilty verdict has become final.

Of them, four companies that include ad agency Hakuhodo and four individuals have received guilty verdicts and appealed to higher courts. The remaining two companies and two officials are still waiting for their initial court rulings.