Ex-education ministry official gets suspended sentence for taking bribes

Tuesday 07th October, 02:14 PM JST

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7 Comments

dennis0bauer at 03:26 PM JST - 7th October

Oshima who he said did not ask for the bribes (strange sentence construction) Off course did he not ask for a bribe because it is the "normal" way of doing bussiness
chibaman at 03:26 PM JST - 7th October

Judge Satoru Morishima said the defendant had lost a sense of ethics after long years of cozy relationships with private-sector construction contractors...But the judge showed leniency to Oshima who he said did not ask for the bribes and has shown remorse for his conduct.

See, this former senior education ministry official isn't that bad, it's not like he went door knocking for fat envelopes. Why they came to him! It's not his fault. He's a good little local boy for not refusing the constructor's demands and causing any trouble. And he said sorry. Done and done. We'll suspend that sentence for three years, don't do it again in that period naughty naughty. And we'll be fining you for exactly the amount of the bribes, not docking you for any of that hard, hard time you put in at the izakaya after 5. So in the end, it's a zero sum game, and the system works. Next please. Next overpriced public works project at the taxpayers expense please.
BBLeo at 09:00 PM JST - 7th October

How many law books does Japan have? According to this is for rich, middle class and poor = 3 in total? This crook should get at least 10 years behind the bars. An official should be a trusted person not a 'scumbag.' Prosecution should appeal for jail to be served sentence.
MrDickMorris at 09:41 PM JST - 7th October

If you are homeless and starving and don't pay your bill in a family restaurant, you will go to jail for a year.

Great equal justice for all, dont you think folks?

Maybe the experts on japan here and how it is great compared to other nations, can enlighten us.
medievaltimes at 09:08 AM JST - 8th October

But the judge showed leniency to Oshima who he said did not ask for the bribes and has shown remorse for his conduct.

What kind of logic is this?
thepro at 09:56 AM JST - 8th October

Japanese logic. The same kind of logic where yelling 'welcome' to customers in stores every 2 minutes is good service.
ProfessorJ at 10:08 AM JST - 8th October

But the judge showed leniency to Oshima who he said did not ask for the bribes and has shown remorse for his conduct. What kind of logic is this?

Well first of all say sorry, even if you just want to minimise the damage or even if you're chuckling as your face is down to the floor, and everything will be alright.

And second, he didn't ask for the bribes nor he did he ask for the system to work this way, so why should little Hiroshi pay the price for everybody. Japan likes corruption. Japan likes lying to people's faces. Little Hiroshi is not to blame for the dirty underside of a whole country. Now go on and enjoy your retirement and with any luck you won't have to rely on a pension that has disappeared or been altered, and you can live off all the other bribes that will not be investigated.