TOKYO —

A court gave a former Nishimatsu Construction Co official a suspended sentence Tuesday for involvement in illicit business practices leading to the indictment of the general contractor’s former head and an aide of opposition heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa in a political funds scandal.
   
The Tokyo District Court sentenced Kazuhiko Takahara, 64, to 18 months in prison, suspended for four years, for engaging in generating and controlling illicit overseas funds in violation of the foreign exchange and foreign trade law as well as for embezzling company money. The former deputy head of the company’s overseas business department brought 70 million yen in from overseas between February 2006 and August 2007 in conspiracy with former Nishimatsu President Mikio Kunisawa and former Vice President Keiji Fujimaki without reporting it to customs authorities, according to the ruling.
   

© 2009 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

› Login to comment

3 Comments

• 

  smithinjapan at 03:14 PM JST - 18th August

  'Suspended sentence'... hmmm... where have I heard that before...?

• 

  stirfry at 05:21 PM JST - 18th August

  shocking

• 

  sensei258 at 07:11 PM JST - 18th August

  "for engaging in generating and controlling illicit overseas funds in violation of the foreign exchange and foreign trade law as well as for embezzling company money". Damn, what do you have to do to get jail time in Japan?

Register or Login to leave a comment