Tokyo Olympics executive Haruyuki Takahashi arrested over bribery allegations
- According to the prosecutors, Takahashi had a total US$380,000 transferred to the bank account of a company he runs, in more than 50 transactions over 5 years
- Takahashi, a former executive at Japan’s biggest advertising agency Dentsu, served on the Tokyo 2020 board from June 2014
A board member for the Tokyo Olympics was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of taking bribes, prosecutors said, along with three other men connected to the scandal.
Haruyuki Takahashi allegedly received US$380,000 from high-street business suit retailer Aoki Holdings, an official partner of last year’s pandemic-delayed 2020 Games.
The 78-year-old was arrested along with Aoki chairman Hironori Aoki, 83, and two other executives from the retailer, according to Tokyo Prosecutors Office documents.
They accuse Takahashi of accepting bribes “with the understanding they were meant as thank-you money for the beneficial and preferential treatment” he bestowed on Aoki.
According to the prosecutors, Takahashi had a total of 51 million yen (US$380,000) transferred to the bank account of a company he runs, in more than 50 transactions between October 2017 and March 2022.