A source close to the matter said on Wednesday that Haruyuki Takahashi, a former Tokyo Olympic organising committee executive, and one of his closest business associates were suspected of paying bribes from an advertising agency.
Takahashi and Fukaichi, former executives at Dentsu, Japan’s largest advertising agency, are suspected of using the consulting firm they now go to to collect payments.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (left) waves the Olympic flag at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. August 8, 2021, at the National Stadium. Paris will host the next Summer Olympics in 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
On Tuesday, the two received new arrest warrants for allegedly receiving about 15 million yen ($103,000) from Daiko Advertising Inc. between January 2019 and February 2022. In return for asking the committee to use the Osaka-based company as a proxy for a major operator of English conversation schools seeking to become a sponsor of the Summer Olympics.
Takahashi Spring Snow. (Kyodo)
After reviewing the records of deposits and withdrawals, Tokyo prosecutors suspect that at least millions of yen in bribes paid by Daikichi to Fukami’s company were diverted to Takahashi’s company, the sources said.
The two consultancies of the same name, Commons, have close business ties, and some of the revenue raised by Fukami was paid to Takahashi, the sources said.
Fukami’s company, “Commons 2,” produces ads for clients introduced by Takahashi, a former Dentsu boss who has a wide network of contacts in sports and other business circles.
The bribery allegations add to a string of corruption charges against Takahashi.
A former Dentsu senior managing director is accused of accepting about 51 million yen in bribes from suit retailer Aoki Holdings Inc. Accepted a bribe of approximately 76 million yen from Kadokawa, a major publishing company. In return for helping them get sponsorships.
In the Kadokawa case, prosecutors also suspected the use of Fukami’s consulting firm.
Takahashi and Fukami are suspected of instructing Kadokawa to transfer 76 million yen to Fukami’s company after Kadokawa executives and another employee of the publisher asked for help in arranging it as a sponsor of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
In the Daiko case, they allegedly demanded that an executive of Daiko’s company wire 15 million yen to Fukami’s company because he asked them to help arrange the advertising agency to act as an agent for the English school operator.
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