A lawmaker who was found guilty of receiving bribes linked to the government's project to build casino resorts in Japan said Thursday he was wrongly convicted and that the jail term he received earlier this week was unacceptable.
"The case was a false accusation made up by prosecutors. (The ruling) is totally unacceptable," said Tsukasa Akimoto, former Liberal Democratic Party member who is on bail, having been sentenced to four years in prison by the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.
Akimoto, who left the ruling party after his arrest in December 2019, told a news conference he intends to stand in the next Lower House election to be held by November. His defense team appealed the ruling on Tuesday.