Former Fukushima Gov. Eisaku Sato, 67, and his brother pleaded innocent Thursday to charges of taking bribes in 2002 from contractors that had worked on a dam construction project ordered by the prefecture.</PARAGRAPH>
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<TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Former Fukushima Gov. Eisaku Sato –
and his brother, Yuji (center back), enter the Tokyo District Court for the Thursday start of their bribery trial.
KYODO PHOTO
The ex-five-term governor told the Tokyo District Court during his first trial session that he was unaware of any shady dealings and could not grasp why he was being prosecuted.
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