Japan ex-PM Mori questioned over Tokyo Olympics corruption

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who headed the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee, has been questioned by prosecutors on a voluntary basis over the corruption scandal involving a former executive of the body, sources close to the matter said Friday.

The prosecutors have been seeking to establish a bribery case against Haruyuki Takahashi, who allegedly received money from two companies in return for helping them be selected as sponsors of the sports events.

Mori is believed to have met with Takahashi and officials of Kadokawa Corp. before the publisher was chosen as a sponsor of The Games in April 2019, according to the sources.

The 85-year-old former prime minister also met with Hironori Aoki, the former chairman of business suit retailer Aoki Holdings Inc., around July 2017 through an introduction by Takahashi, said the sources. Aoki Holdings became a sponsor in October 2018.

A lawyer representing Mori declined to comment on the questioning by prosecutors, while a Kadokawa spokesman also declined to comment on its meeting with Mori.

As for ties with Aoki, the lawyer earlier said in a written response that Mori has never talked with Takahashi or Aoki about the selection of sponsors.

Takahashi, meanwhile, has told investigators that he introduced Aoki to Mori but that he never proposed choosing Aoki Holdings as a sponsor, the sources said.

Takahashi was indicted Tuesday for allegedly receiving bribes totaling around 51 million yen ($357,000) from Aoki Holdings. He was also served a fresh arrest warrant on the same day for allegedly accepting bribes from Kadokawa.

Aoki has been indicted on suspicion of bribe-giving.