The Tokyo District Court sentenced a former employee of Kyoto-based nonbank moneylender Nichiei Co. to 20 months in prison Monday for using threatening tactics to collect loans while working for the company in 1998.
Yukihiro Wada, 46, was found guilty of ordering a couple living in Chiba Prefecture to sell one of their kidneys each to obtain money in April and May 1998 and later extorting from them 400,000 yen in cash and a promissory note for 400,000 yen.
Judge Fumihiro Abe said that although Wada's deeds may have resulted from Nichiei's system of punishing employees who failed to hit loan collection targets, Wada "selfishly committed crimes" to secure high pay.
He also said that Wada "ignored the rights of those asked to repay loans" and that he cannot believe the accused truly repents his acts because during the hearings, Wada had denied threatening the couple.
Wada has been charged separately with threatening another couple at the Choshi Summary Court in Chiba Prefecture during arbitration over repayment of a loan.
Prosecutors had demanded 30 months in prison for both sets of charges.
Nichiei officials said the company solemnly accepts the ruling and will take measures to prevent a recurrence by educating employees on relevant laws and ethics.
Five ex-Nichiei employees have been arrested on suspicion of using coercive loan-recovery tactics, but prosecutors decided not to indict Nichiei because it has begun taking measures to stop extortionate recovery methods.