TOKYO –
The bribery scandal tied to the Tokyo Olympics will not go away, sullying the legacy of the organizing committee as Japan continues in talks with the International Olympic Committee to land the 2030 Winter Olympics for Sapporo.
On Wednesday, a former promoting govt on the middle of a widening scandal tied to Olympic sponsorships was arrested for the fourth time on suspicion of receiving bribes; this time from a Japanese promoting firm ADK Marketing Solutions.
Japanese media reviews stated prosecutors raided the workplaces of ADK and Tokyo-based doll maker Sun Arrow, which produced the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic mascots named Miraitowa and Someity.
Haruyuki Takahashi has been arrested and re-arrested and earlier charged with accepting bribes from officers at three different firms: Aoki Holdings, a clothes firm that dressed Japan’s Olympic staff; main Japanese writer and leisure firm Kadokawa, and Daiko Advertising Inc.
Takahashi has been in custody since August.
Takahashi is a former govt at Japanese promoting big Dentsu, which helped land the Games for Tokyo after which lined up report home sponsorship of extra that US$3 billion. This was no less than twice as a lot as any earlier Olympics.
French prosecutors have been trying into allegations that some IOC members could have been bribed to vote for Tokyo when town was picked in 2013.
That scandal three years in the past pressured the resignation of Japanese Olympic Committee head Tsunekazu Takeda, who was additionally an IOC member.
The Switzerland-based IOC has tried to distance itself from the scandal. IOC President Thomas Bach didn’t attend a celebration final weekend at Tokyo’s National Stadium to mark the one-year anniversary of the one-year delayed Olympics. He stated he had a scheduling battle.
“We have full confidence within the Japanese authorities and likewise the auditors of the organizing committee,” the IOC stated in an announcement to The Associated Press. “The IOC has each curiosity within the full clarification of this case.”
The Olympics have been constantly plagued with cash scandals. Carlos Nuzman, and IOC member and head of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, was arrested after these Games on corruption fees.
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics had been dirty by a doping scandal, and a bribery scandal additionally overshadowed the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Japan formally spent US$13 billion to carry the Olympics, a lot of which was public cash.
Japan is now pursuing the 2030 Winter Olympics, which it says will price US$2.6 billion. Officials in Sapporo have declined to carry a public referendum with opinion divided within the northern Japanese area.
The bribes allegedly going to Takahashi now whole greater than 190 million yen (US$1.2 million).
Tagging on extra allegations, which retains a suspect in custody, is named “hostage justice,” and is broadly criticized however a typical observe in Japan. But getting arrested for the fourth time is uncommon, even for Japan.
Takahashi has not been accessible for remark. He has not been eligible for bail.