A Japanese company embroiled in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic corruption scandal said yesterday it would strengthen oversight to prevent further wrongdoing.
Takeshi Natsuno, president of the Japanese entertainment company Kadokawa, bowed deeply with two other executives to show remorse in a news conference. He said the company “seriously betrayed public trust.”
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, the son of the founder, was arrested in September on suspicion of bribing Haruyuki Takahashi, a member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, with 69 million yen ($480,000).
Kadokawa Group was chosen as an Olympic sponsor and published the Games program and guidebooks.
Takahashi is a former executive at the Japanese advertising company Dentsu, which played a key role in 2013 in landing the Olympics for Tokyo, and then became the Tokyo Games marketing arm.
Takahashi was arrested and released from jail after being held for about four months. Japanese media say he is denying the corruption charges.
Any trials are likely to be slow moving as the Japanese court process tends to be drawn out, and more than a dozen people are involved.
