Seven senior officials from seven major engineering companies were arrested Tuesday over their alleged involvement in fixing bids for sewage and sludge plant projects financed by local governments, investigative sources said.

The executives, including Kenichi Terakawa, 59, Kubota Corp.'s sales chief in its recycling plant section, have been arrested by the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of breaking the Antimonopoly Law.

The seven have owned up to the charge, investigative sources said.