TOKYO OLYMPICS CORRUPTION - PART 15

 Former director instructs Toy Company to send money or goes into full-scale investigation on suspicion of bribery Olympics corruption

In the corruption case surrounding the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, suspect Haruyuki Takahashi (78) = re-arrested on suspicion of bribery = former director of the Games Organizing Committee = Former director acquaintance of the former director instructed the executive of a toy company that sold stuffed toys of the tournament mascot, an official licensed product, to send money to the president's consulting company. The former director is said to have subsequently received about 8 million yen from a consulting company, and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors' Special Investigation Department seems to have decided to conduct a full-scale investigation of the former director on suspicion of bribery on suspicion of bribery related to the acquisition of a license for a toy company.

It was found that about 19 million yen had also been transferred to this consulting company from ADK Holdings, a major advertising company that became the agent of the tournament sponsorship contract of the parking lot service company "Park24". The Special Investigation Department believes that the former director may have used the consulting company as a "receiver" for funds from multiple companies, and is considering filing a lawsuit through the ADK route.

According to officials, the toy company is "Sun Arrow". In June 2018, the company signed a license agreement with the organizing committee to sell stuffed toys of the tournament mascots "Miraitowa" and "Someity". Prior to this, the former director is suspected of having been asked by the company's executives to quickly conclude a contract and lobbied the organizing committee. After the contract, funds were sent from the toy company to the consulting company under the instructions of the former director, and it is said that about 8 million yen of part of it was given to the former director.

The president of the consulting company is a former director and a golf buddy who is an alumnus of the university. At the time, the company was dormant with almost no actual business conditions. The president was a college classmate of a toy company executive and is said to have been friends with a former board member.

In addition, the former director is suspected of lobbying Dentsu, a major advertising company that is a dedicated agency entrusted by the organizing committee, to subcontract ADK regarding the sponsorship agreement of Park24. ADK actually became a subcontractor, and received about 37.5 million yen through Dentsu out of the 1 billion yen sponsorship fee paid by Park24 to the organizing committee in December '18. Immediately after that, it is said that he remitted about 19 million yen, almost half the price, to a consulting company.

The former board member was rearrested on September 27 for accepting bribes of about 15 million yen from advertising firm Daiko in a series of Olympic corruption cases, and his detention expires on September 18. According to officials, the former board member has admitted to sending money from the toy company but has denied bribery.

STUFFED TOYS VERSION OF THE OFFICIAL TOKYO OLYMPICS MASCOT

Documents of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games: How far is revealed?

In the wake of corruption scandals surrounding the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, there are growing calls for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to disclose related documents such as sponsorship contracts and independently verify them. This is because citizens cannot directly request freedom of information to the Games Organizing Committee, which was a public interest incorporated foundation, as the national and local governments do. Although the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been guiding the organizing committee on the status of document storage and sequentially releasing documents that have taken over management, it is "difficult" to release documents related to the incident. It is unclear to what extent citizens will have access to contract information.

Citizens cannot claim directly

"It is truly unfortunate that this incident has occurred, and we will continue to ask the clearing firm to cooperate fully with the investigation." At a plenary session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on September 28, Governor Yuriko Koike was asked about her reaction to the arrest of Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, a former member of the organizing committee, on suspicion of bribery, in a question from representatives of the Communist Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party, and she gave almost the same answer.

"Even if the documents are preserved, they are meaningless if they are not used, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government should promptly release the relevant documents." Keita Nishizawa, a member of the Constitutional Council, pressed for this, but a Tokyo executive who responded expressed a negative view, saying, "I have heard from the liquidation corporation of the organizing committee that it is difficult to release related documents while the investigation is ongoing."

The organizing committee, which was responsible for organizing the Tokyo Olympics, was established by the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government with a contribution of 150 million yen each. While it had a strong public character, it also handled many contracts with private companies, and was operated as a public interest incorporated foundation independent of the national government and the capital. The documents prepared are not subject to the information disclosure system of the national government or the capital.

"Preservation Ordinance" to prevent disposal

In March 20, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly unanimously passed and enacted the "Ordinance on the Storage and Succession of Documents, etc.," which obliges the organizing committee to make efforts to preserve documents.