Ad firm Hakuhodo's 200 mil. yen fine for Olympics bid-rigging upheld
KYODO NEWS - 12 hours ago - 19:12 | Olympics, All, Japan
A Japanese high court on Thursday upheld a decision that major advertisement firm Hakuhodo Inc. pay a fine of 200 million yen ($1.4 million), for its part in a bid-rigging scandal linked to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The Tokyo High Court also upheld an 18-month prison term, suspended for three years, for Kenichiro Yokomizo, the 58-year-old former president of Hakuhodo DY Sports Marketing Inc., for rigging bids for contracts to plan the test events and operate the venues of the 2021 Summer Games tournament.
It marks the first high court ruling in the case involving six companies, including Hakuhodo rival Dentsu Group Inc., that were indicted for bid-rigging the contracts worth around 43.7 billion yen.
Presiding Judge Kazunori Karei rejected Hakuhodo's argument that it was unfair to include contracts awarded through negotiation as possible bid-rigging, and that only contracts that were awarded through competitive bidding should be considered in the case.
"The companies coordinated their actions based on the shared understanding that all of the related contracts formed a package," Karei said.
The court also affirmed the district court ruling last July that found Hakuhodo had attempted to rig bids in line with the intentions of a former operations executive on the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee, who was convicted for playing a central role in the scandal.
According to the ruling, Hakuhodo colluded with the former executive and others between around February and July 2018 to decide which companies would be awarded contracts to plan test events and run the actual tournaments, taking into account the preferences of the seven companies.
Of the six companies indicted in the case, Hakuhodo, Dentsu Group and two others were found guilty but have appealed. Trials for the remaining two companies are ongoing at the Tokyo District Court.
The test events -- held so that organizers could check for potential problems in terms of operations, security and audience management -- were carried out before the Summer Games after a one-year postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Related coverage:
Ad giant Dentsu fined 300 million yen over Tokyo Olympics bid-rigging
Ad firm Hakuhodo fined 200 million yen over Tokyo Olympics bid-rigging
Ex-Tokyo Olympics operations executive found guilty of bid-rigging
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
35 minutes ago
- Nikkei Asia
Labor-starved Japan taps foreigners and seniors to drive its buses
TOKYO -- As Japanese bus operators struggle to compete with other transport companies for drivers, some are finding ways to tap talent outside the usual corners, including students from Southeast Asia and retirees seeking second careers. In March, bus company Jotetsu agreed to a tie-up with the city of Sapporo, where it is based, and language school operator Hokkaido Arbeit Johosha. The plan is for Jotetsu to bring students on as drivers after they graduate from the two-year school. The city, which wants to maintain its bus routes, will cover part of the students' tuition and wages.
Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: June 9, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 23:00 | All, World, Japan The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan vigilant after China's sea maneuvers off easternmost island TOKYO - The Japanese government said Monday that it will continue to closely monitor China's growing maritime activity and step up surveillance after a Chinese aircraft carrier was spotted for the first time near a remote Pacific island on Japan's easternmost edge. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference that China apparently intends to "enhance its capability to carry out missions at sea and in the skies farther away" from its shores. ---------- Japan PM aims for nominal GDP to reach 1,000 tril. yen in 2040 TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that Japan should aim to boost its economy to 1,000 trillion yen ($7 trillion) in nominal terms by 2040, instructing his ruling party executives to include it in a pledge for this summer's nationwide election. The size compares with the country's nominal gross domestic product of around 600 trillion yen in 2024. ---------- Japan, South Korea leaders agree to build stable ties in 1st phone talks TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Monday to build stable bilateral ties amid a severe strategic environment, with both expressing hope to meet in person at an early date. In their first telephone conversation since Lee took office last week, Ishiba and the South Korean leader also confirmed the importance of trilateral cooperation with their shared ally, the United States, the Japanese government said. ---------- 4 Japan SDF members hurt in blast near U.S. Kadena Air Base NAHA, Japan - An explosion occurred Monday near the U.S. military's Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, slightly injuring four Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members who were working at a depot, local and Defense Ministry officials said. The ministry officials said there was an unidentified explosion while SDF personnel were preparing for bomb disposal operations, causing those in close proximity to suffer finger lacerations and possible hearing damage. ---------- Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks TOKYO - Japan's top tariff negotiator is arranging a visit to the United States later this week for a sixth round of ministerial-level talks aimed at securing concessions over a series of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, a government source said Monday. The fourth trip in as many weeks by Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, would come ahead of an envisioned meeting between the leaders of Japan and the United States at the time of the three-day Group of Seven summit in Canada from June 15. ---------- Japan Jan.-March GDP revised up, still 1st contraction in 1 year TOKYO - Japan's economy shrank an annualized real 0.2 percent in January to March, revised up from the preliminary report but still marking the first contraction in four quarters, with consumption stagnant amid rising prices, government data showed Monday. Despite the upward revision from the earlier reading of a 0.7 percent decline, the data underscored that Japan lacked a growth engine even before the full impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's higher tariffs set in, while inflation hit household sentiment. ---------- Japan current account surplus in April rises 3.2% to 2.26 tril. yen TOKYO - Japan's current account surplus rose 3.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.26 trillion yen ($15.6 billion) in April, remaining in the black for the third consecutive month, lifted by a significant contraction in the trade deficit, the government said Monday. The surplus, which was the biggest for the reporting month, came as the country's trade deficit shrank 94.8 percent to 32.8 billion yen, as exports increased 4.0 percent to 8.77 trillion yen on the back of brisk demand for semiconductors and food items. Video: Bakers compete in Best of Mondial du Pain contest at Osaka Expo
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Hitachi to explore purchases in factory automation, new CEO says
TOKYO -- Japanese technology group Hitachi will consider purchasing assets in the factory automation sector as a next chapter in the organization's restructuring, newly installed President and CEO Toshiaki Tokunaga recently told Nikkei.
