A group of lawyers urged the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) on Thursday to expel Takefuji Corp. following police raids on its headquarters last week over a wire-tapping scandal.
"Takefuji has not carried out an in-house investigation nor made an apology to the public," the group said in a statement submitted to the powerful business lobby.
Police have arrested five people, including two former employees, on suspicion that the consumer loan company commissioned the wiretapping of a journalist who had criticized it.
Nippon Keidanren approved Takefuji's membership one year ago despite strong opposition by the lawyers' group, which has been campaigning against extortionist methods used by some consumer credit firms to collect loans.