Former Japanese lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges of taking bribes from an offshore wind power company over a project in Aomori Prefecture.
Akimoto, a 49-year-old former member of the House of Representatives, has been charged with receiving about ¥72 million in bribes from Masayuki Tsukawaki, a 65-year-old former president of Japan Wind Development.
At the first hearing of his trial at Tokyo District Court, Akimoto said that he received the payment but added that the money was "neither a reward for a job nor a benefit."
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