2 Ex-Execs of Japan Dental Federation Found Guilty over Political Donations

June 28, 2018

Tokyo- Tokyo District Court found two former top officials of the Japan Dental Federation guilty on Wednesday of making political donations beyond legal limits in violation of the political funds control law.

Mikimasa Takagi, 73, and Naofumi Tsutsumi, 76, both former presidents of the political arm of the Japan Dental Association, were both sentenced to 18 months in prison with three years' probation.

Prosecutors had sought a two-year prison term for Takagi and 18 months for Tsutsumi.

The federation itself was also found guilty and was ordered to pay a fine of 500,000 yen, as sought by prosecutors.

The defendants had insisted on their innocence.

Takagi and Tsutsumi "neglected to comply with the law although they were responsible for preventing misconduct," presiding Judge Iwao Maeda said.

The former executives made illegal donations "systematically and skillfully" by conspiring with another federation official in charge of accounting, Maeda said.

The accountant, Yoshinobu Murata, a 73-year-old former vice president of the federation, has already been found guilty in a separate trial. He is currently appealing against the ruling.

According to Wednesday's ruling, the illegal donations include payments of 95 million yen, above the legal limit, to a support group for a ruling party lawmaker, mostly through a political group with ties to a former lawmaker, ahead of the 2013 House of Councillors election. Jiji Press