Former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya pleaded guilty Monday to charges of bribery and perjury and acknowledged taking part in bribes-for-contracts schemes with executives of defense equipment traders between 2003 and 2007.
Although Moriya contested the sum of bribes put forward by prosecutors, he told the Tokyo District Court during his first trial session that he "committed a crime despite being at the top position of the Defense Ministry."
"I deeply apologize from my heart," Moriya, 63, said. The disgraced bureaucrat, who allegedly received about ¥12.5 million in kickbacks from the Tokyo-based firms Yamada Corp. and Nihon Mirise Corp., is charged with rewarding the companies with special favors, including contracts for procuring General Electric engines for the Air Self-Defense Force's next-generation CX aircraft.
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