The first trial of 49-year-old House of Representatives member Tsukasa Akimoto, who is charged with bribery and violation of the Act on Punishment of Organized Crimes over a proposed IR project, will be held at the Tokyo District Court on 29 March. Akimoto has consistently denied the charges and is expected to plead not guilty.
Akimoto was arrested and charged with bribery by the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s Office in December 2019 on allegations he had received a bribe worth around JPY7.6 million (US$70,000) from Chinese online games company 500.com while he was serving as State Minister of the Cabinet Office and in charge of IR development.
500.com had at the time been planning to bid for an IR license in either Hokkaido or Okinawa, although the company did not pursue its bid and both locations have since withdrawn from Japan’s IR race.
At a press conference when he was released on bail in February 2020, Akimoto maintained his innocence, stating, “I have never received a bribe.”
He was arrested and detained again in August 2020 on suspicion of violating the Act on Punishment of Organized Crimes for asking two former advisers of 500.com to provide false testimony at the trial. Bail has not been granted since that arrest.
Two of his supporters involved in the allegations of bribing witnesses admitted that Akimoto had asked them to do so. Further, two former advisers of 500.com testified that they had been asked to give false testimony. All four were found guilty.
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