Report: Kadokawa Chairman to Resign After Indictment for Bribery
by Danica Davidson
October 4, 2022
It’s being reported by the Japanese news outlet Mainichi Shimbun that Kadokawa chairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, whom police believe illegally bribed an ex-member of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics organizing committee, plans to put in his resignation. The Mainichi Shimbun said it got this information from Tsuguhiko Kadokawa’s defense team. The publisher Kadokawa, which was founded by Tsuguhiko’s father in 1945, hasn’t said anything (at least publicly) about a possible resignation.
However, the publisher Kadokawa is setting itself up for a press conference on October 5.
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa was arrested on September 14, and he was formally indicted today, October 4. After the news of the indictment came out, the publisher Kadokawa put out this statement:
“We take this matter very seriously, and deeply apologize to all those concerned including our readers, customers, authors, creators, business partners, shareholders, and investors for the considerable inconvenience this matter has caused.”
Police believe that someone at Kadokawa publishing spent about $480,000 bribing a way for Kadokawa to become an official sponsor of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Being a sponsor for something as big as the Olympics could potentially get a company on a lot of people’s radars around the world. But the allegations of bribery led to Kadokawa’s office being raided by authorities.
Police also arrested and indicted ex-Kadokawa executive Toshiyuki Yoshihara and ex-senior official Kyоji Maniwa. It is not known if they have claimed innocence or guilt.
Earlier Tsuguhiko Kadokawa had said that money was sent, but it was not a bribe. He said it was a consultancy fee, and that he had “absolutely no recognition on his part that the money constituted a bribe.”
As a whole, the publisher Kadokawa says it was not involved with the alleged bribery. It put out a statement earlier saying it will fully cooperate with the police investigation.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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