Tadahiro Ando KYODO PHOTO

The sources said Yoshifumi Nihongi, the 56-year-old president of an architectural design firm who was among 10 people arrested Nov. 16 over alleged bid-ridding demanded that Ando, 65, arrange contracts for him while his firm was paying monthly "adviser" fees at Ando's request to a man with close links to the governor.

A government employee can be sentenced to as long as five years in prison if found guilty of receiving requests in connection with his official duties and having someone else provide or demand bribes.

According to investigations, Nihongi's firm, Yamato Engineering Inc., paid ¥800,000 a month to Shizuo Ishikawa, 68, for about one year starting in 2004, with the sum totaling around ¥10 million.

Nihongi told investigators the money was paid to Ishikawa, a former secretary to a Diet member, at the request of Ando, who was elected in July 2003.

Ando's support group is alleged to have paid ¥50 million to Ishikawa for his work as head of the group, a post Ishikawa assumed after Ando was elected governor but abandoned after two weeks.

Hiroaki Shibaoka, 58, deputy chief of the civil engineering division at the prefectural government and among those arrested, said he was told winners of bids for prefectural projects were determined by the will of the "top echelon."

The Japan Times Weekly: Nov. 25, 2006
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