No indictment over dining scandal involving ex-PM Suga’s son
15:05 JST, March 30, 2022
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Public prosecutors on Tuesday decided not to indict 12 people, including former senior communications ministry officials, over a wining-and-dining scandal involving the first son of former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office concluded that there were insufficient or no grounds for charging them.
The decision came after a civic group filed criminal complaints against the 12 people in April and June last year.
The group claimed that seven then ministry officials were treated to dinners worth a total of some ¥300,000 between August 2017 and October 2020 by Suga’s son, Seigo, who works for Tohokushinsha Film Corp. , as well as a former president of the company and others.
The group argued that the dinners were aimed at receiving favorable treatment from the ministry, such as overlooking a violation of foreign ownership rules and giving broadcast permissions.
Among the 12 people who escaped indictment were Suga himself. When he was chief cabinet secretary in October 2018, Suga was alleged to have received ¥500,000 in cash from a former Tohokushinsha president after asking a senior ministry official to tolerate the company’s violation of the foreign ownership rules.
In October last year, a third-party panel set up by the ministry said in a report that it is highly likely that the ministry did not revoke Tohokushinsha’s broadcasting license despite recognizing its violation of the rules.
Meanwhile, the panel noted that it could not confirm that talks on the matter were held during the dinners.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan Ministry Concerned Over Same-Sex Couple Receiving City-Issued Resident Certificates Referring to ‘Common-Law Husband’
-
Japan Govt Predicts China’s Forces Could Land on Taiwan Within 1 Week of Enforcing Blockade; Drills Conducted in 2023 Analyzed
-
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike Wins Third Straight Term; Voters Respond to Achievements in Child Care, Education
-
Incumbent Tokyo Governor Leads as Election Day Approaches; 20% of Survey Respondents Still Undecided
-
Japan, U.S. to Compile Joint Document on Extended Deterrence; Foreign, Defense Ministers to Hold Talks
JN ACCESS RANKING