Count Me Out
Former Japanese Defense Chief Says He Was Not Bribed
The scale of the Japanese casino resort bribery scandal grows bigger every day, and with each new day, more details are emerging. The latest on the hot seat of the bribery allegation is Takeshi Iwaya, the former defense chief.
Iwaya has quickly come out to deny his involvement in the scandal. He denied receiving around $9,250 (¥1 million) in cash from a Chinese company.
“I never received any money from anyone,” Iwaya told reporters.
Back in 2017, Iwaya was part of the Liberal Democratic Party, and he had a seat in the Lower House. He is currently one of the five lawmakers investigated by prosecutors on a voluntary basis for receiving bribe from a Chinese company.
All five lawmakers were quick to deny any wrongdoings. They all denied receiving any cash from the company.
Another Liberal Democratic Party member in the hot seat is Hiroyuki Nakamura. He also denied any involvement in the process and also denied receiving cash as well.
The Japanese Political Funds Control Law prohibits any donations from foreign nationals or organizations.
The Big Reveal
The new leads from the mouth of an adviser to the Chinese firm. Katsunori Nakazato, who served as an adviser to the company said $9,250 was paid to each of the lawmakers, and around $28,000 going to Tsukasa Akimoto. All payments were made in cash.
Investigations reveal that around $19,000 paid to an LDP branch in the form of donations from a Sapporo-based travel agency which had planned a casino project in Hokkaido. The firm also sent another $19,000 to the same branch less than a month later.
Of the total $40,000 donated, $9250 went to a Liberal party branch headed by Iwaya. Iwaya was quick to mention that the payment was a show of gratitude for a lecture he had given.
Whatsoever comes out from this case, you can expect more news to unravel every day.
