Kadokawa Chairman Arrested for Suspected Bribery of Tokyo Olympics 2020 Official

Kadokawa Chairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa has been arrested on suspicion of paying 70 million yen (around $487,000) to Haruyuki Takahashi, a member of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 organizing panel. According to prosecutors, the bribe was to ensure that Kadokawa would be selected as the official sponsor of the event.

Takahashi allegedly received the bribe through a consulting company led by Kazumasa Fukami. Fukami, who was Takahashi’s acquaintance, signed contracts with Kadokawa for consulting services but prosecutors claim that this was a way to funnel money. Two Kadokawa senior officials were arrested last week as part of the investigation.

Tsugihiko Kadokawa joined Kadokawa Shoten in 1966 and resigned in 1992. He went on to found Media Works in 1992 but returned to Kadokawa in the following year. He was named president after his older brother, Haruki Kadokawa was arrested. Haruki was accused of instructing a photographer to smuggle cocaine from the United States on several occasions.

Kadokawa Corporation is a publishing and media company from Japan. Originally founded as Kadokawa Shoten in 1945 with a goal of reviving Japanese culture scene in the post-war era, it went on to become on of the biggest publishers in Japan. Kadokawa Shoten merged with Dwango, a telecommunications and media company in 2014, and became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Dwango.

In 2019, as part of restructuring Kadokawa Dwango absorbed Dwango (parent company of Mages, Niwango (Nicnonico), Spike Chunsoft), GzBRAIN, and Daihyakka News as subsidiaries. In the same year, the company was reorganized again: Kadokawa Dwango became the new Kadokawa Corporation, while the publishing businesses stayed within the old Kadokawa Corporation, which was now renamed to Kadokawa Future Publishing. The old name, Kadokawa Shoten, remained as a brand and publishing house in the Kadokawa Future Publishing. Sony and Cyber Agent both hold a small stake in the company. Chinese Tencent recently invested over $260 million into Kadokawa.

The current chairman, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa is the second son of Genyoshi Kadokawa, who founded Kadokawa Shoten. The company is a producer behind many popular anime titles. In the past they have stated that they want to produce 40 anime titles per year until 2023 – a number they have since achieved.

Source: NHK