A former vice president and a former board member of Japan Highway Public Corp. pleaded not guilty Friday to charges they were involved in rigging bids for steel bridge projects undertaken by the now-defunct government highway builder-operator.
Michio Uchida, 61, former JH vice president, and Tsuneo Kaneko, 58, the former board director, entered their pleas at the bid-rigging trial's first session at the Tokyo High Court, which is the court of first instance for serious Antimonopoly Law violations.
Meanwhile, their 36 codefendants -- 26 businesses and 10 of their officials -- mostly pleaded guilty to charges of unfair trade restraint in the scandal.
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