Japan House of Representative and Prime Minister Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member, Tsukasa Akimoto, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of accepting illicit payments.
According to the Tokyo Public Prosecutor’s office, Akimoto received bribery worth$34,000 in the form of cash, air ticket and hotel rooms payments. Earlier on Wednesday, Akimoto posted a tweet apologizing for the situation but insisted that he is not involved in fraud.
Extensive Web
Japanese authorities are speculating that a Chinese gaming company based in Shenzhen could have greased Akimoto’s hands. However, the indictment filed by the Tokyo Prosecutor did not point what he did for the company. Kyodo News also reported that the prosecutor arrested three other people in connection with Akimoto bribery.
According to Casino.org, the gaming company providing payment to Akimoto was previously interested in establishing a gaming property in Hokkaido, but the region is no longer interested in an integrated resort. The company that was interested in Hokkaido include Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE0 Rush Street Japan and Hard Rock International-but none of them is from China.
Other allegations brought against Akimoto include bringing millions of yen from an unknown source to Japan. If found guilty, he will be fined up to $4,600 or a sentence of six months.
Pushing Ahead
Akimoto is the latest member of LDP to be charged with corruption; however, politicians including Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga are insisting that the charges will not disrupt Japan plans to become the second-largest gaming hub in Asia.
