A prominent Japanese lawmaker was jailed for four years in a bribery case over a casino resort project.
Tsukasa Akimoto was also ordered to pay fines of about 7.6 million yen ($69,000).
He was found guilty of acceptig bribes worth 7.6 million yen from a Chinese casino operator aiming to enter Japan’s integrated casino resort market.
Akimoto, 49, also paid two witnesses to lie in court.
"Statements of those who admitted to providing cash were fully credible as they were strongly supported by objective evidence," said Presiding Judge Toshihiko Niwa.
The judge described his actions as an ‘unprecedented obstruction of justice.’
As senior vice minister in the Cabinet Office, Akimoto was in charge of the government’s initiative to legalise casino resort operations by awarding a limited number of permits to operate integrated resorts with hotels and conference facilities.
