The Yomiuri Shimbun
Golf outings and other entertainment provided by a former executive of a defense contracting firm to former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya and his wife, Sachiko, were arranged mostly at the couple's request, sources said Thursday.
On some occasions Sachiko, 56, was treated to outings by Motonobu Miyazaki, a former executive of defense-equipment trading firm Yamada Corp., while Moriya, 63, played golf with executives of other defense contracting firms, the sources said.
On other occasions, Moriya left Miyazaki, 69, to pay the golfing expenses incurred by his coworkers when the two golfed with others.
The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is questioning the couple about details of the lavish entertainment they received.
Moriya began playing golf with Miyazaki and other Yamada officials around 1996, when he was the defense policy division chief of the Defense Agency, which has since been upgraded to the Defense Ministry. They played at golf courses run by a Yamada affiliate in Saitama and Chiba prefectures 20 to 30 times a year, playing more than 300 games over the past 11 years.
The sources said after playing golf, they would dine at beef barbecue restaurants or play mah jongg. Miyazaki covered most of the costs.
According to the sources, most of the golf outings were arranged at the insistence of Moriya or his wife.
More than half of the golf trips were put on by Miyazaki solely for Sachiko, while her husband was taken on golf outings by other companies.
According to the sources, on the occasions the couple and Miyazaki went to Hokkaido and Fukuoka Prefecture to play golf, Miyazaki paid 200,000 yen to 300,000 yen to cover their travel expenses, golf fees, restaurant bills and admission fees to tourist attractions.
These trips also were provided after being demanded by the Moriyas, the sources said.
In addition, on many other tours, Moriya took his coworkers and friends and told them they would not have to pay, instead letting Miyazaki pay the costs the group incurred, the sources said.
The prosecutors believe that as Moriya wielded a lot of power and influence as administrative vice defense minister, he was able to offer Miyazaki's firm preferential treatment when defense contracts were being awarded in return for golf outings and cash, the sources said.
Prosecutors have judged that Sachiko can be regarded as an accomplice even though she was not a public servant because she received perks having known that Miyazaki expected her husband to receive favors as the top bureaucrat in the Defense Ministry, and because the couple jointly made a living and therefore both benefited.
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(Nov. 30, 2007)
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