The Tokyo District Court sentenced a former executive of the scandal-tainted Japan Dental Association to a suspended one-year prison term Thursday for bribing members of a government panel.

Yasuyuki Hirai, 64, conspired with the dental lobby's former chairman, Sadao Usuda, 73, and gave out about 7.5 million yen in cash and treats at restaurants between 2001 and 2003 to win favor from panel members responsible for recommending fees for dental services, the court said in suspending his sentence for three years.

Hirai committed a "crime that could damage people's trust in the medical administration," presiding Judge Yuichi Okada said.

Prosecutors had called for a one-year prison term for Hirai.

The dental lobby gave money to and wined and dined Takeshi Shimomura, 74, a former member of the Central Social Insurance Medical Council and former chief of the Social Insurance Agency, and Katsutoshi Kato, 60, another former member of the council who was also a vice president in the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo).

Shimomura and Kato have been on trial on charges of accepting bribes.