Ex-ADK Chief to Admit Bribery over Tokyo Olympics: Sources

Tokyo, Jan. 18 (Jiji Press)–A former president of advertising firm ADK Holdings Inc. now plans to admit a bribery charge against him over the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, held in summer 2021, informed sources said Wednesday.

The trial of former ADK President Shinichi Ueno, 68, indicted for allegedly giving a bribe to former Tokyo Games organizing committee executive Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, is slated to start Feb. 17.

Ueno was initially denying the charge, but has recently changed his attitude, the sources said.

While having a chronic illness, he has not been released on bail for about three months since his arrest in mid-October last year. Behind his change of attitude may have been the prolonged detention, the sources said.

According to the indictment, Ueno conspired with former senior ADK officials Shigeharu Hisamatsu, 63, and Toshiaki Tada, 60, to give bribes to Takahashi, in hopes that the company would take part in Tokyo Games sponsor contract operations.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]