Former Tokushima Gov. Toshio Endo pleaded guilty Friday to charges of receiving 8 million yen in bribes from a business consultant in 1997 and 2000 in return for helping a local construction firm win public works projects in the prefecture.
In his first session before the Tokyo District Court, 59-year-old Endo admitted that he helped local contractor Ichiba Nishimura Kensetsu take part in road construction and other projects between 1996 and 1997.
In return, Endo received 8 million yen from the firm on two occasions, in 1997 and 2000, via Mitsuo Ozaki, a 56-year-old executive of the Tokyo consulting firm Gyosai Toshi Kaihatsu Kenkyujo (Gyosaiken), who stands accused of various bribery charges at the same court.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.