A scandal involving US defense contractors, Japanese officials and free rounds of golf has become more complex.
The Daily Yomiuri reports that
Prosecutors concluded that the excessive treating to rounds of golf was tantamount to bribery.
The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Wednesday arrested former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, who was treated to more than 300 rounds of golf over an 11-year period, on suspicion of receiving bribes.
The prosecutors judged that the cost of 12 golf outings in Hokkaido and other places—3.89 million—paid for by Motonobu Miyazaki, former senior managing director of defense contractor Yamada Corp., constituted bribes.
Moriya’s wife was also arrested on suspicion of taking bribes, as his accomplice. Bribe-taking charges are normally applied to public servants. However, when a person who is not a public servant abets bribe-taking, he or she can be punished as an “accomplice without status.”
The prosecutors decided that Moriya’s wife, who was frequently entertained by Miyazaki along with him, falls in this category.
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