Liberal Democratic Party heavyweights Shizuka Kamei and the late Noboru Takeshita received bribes in return for approving public works projects, a witness testified in former Construction Minister Eiichi Nakao's bribery trial.
Masami Hayashi, the 56-year-old president of real estate broker H. R. Royal, testified Tuesday during Nakao's Tokyo District Court trial.
Hayashi is a brother-in-law of Hiroshi Ishibashi, former chairman of Wakachiku Construction Co., which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Ishibashi is alleged to have given bribes to help his company win public works contracts.