Ex-lawmaker Toyama found guilty over brokering lones

Jiji Press

17:07 JST, March 29, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Tokyo District Court on Tuesday handed down a guilty sentence to former Japanese ruling coalition lawmaker Kiyohiko Toyama for his illegal brokering of state COVID-19 relief loans.

Presiding Judge Toshihiko Niwa gave the 52-year-old former House of Representatives member a two-year prison term, suspended for three years, and fined him ¥1 million for violating the moneylending business law.

In his trial, Toyama, a former member of Komeito, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, had admitted the charges, and the defense side had asked for a lenient ruling.

Public prosecutors had demanded that Toyama be sentenced to two years in prison without suspension and fined ¥1 million.