Michio Uchida, vice president of Japan Highway Public Corp., speaks about the bid-rigging scandal at a news conference in Tokyo on July 7.

Uchida, 60, is suspected of having helped his colleagues violate the Antimonopoly Law in one such case in May 2004, and of breach of trust for causing the government-run highway operator to make up to ¥50 million in unnecessary payments in the cases.

According to investigators, Uchida allegedly worked with Sozo Kanda, a former board member of Japan Highway who was advising Yokogawa Bridge Corp., to coordinate bid-rigging for bridge projects financed by the public corporation.

Kanda allegedly played a key role in deciding which companies would win the bids.

Knowing that Kanda would pick the winners, Uchida allegedly ordered Japan Highway officials to separately divide the public corporation's bridge projects among different companies to make coordination easier.

He also allegedly allowed the public corporation to use about ¥50 million for unnecessary payments linked to the orders.

On July 12, prosecutors arrested Kanda and four officials from major bridge building companies.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 30, 2005
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