Six-year sentence sought for former lawmaker in wind power bribery case

Public prosecutors on Thursday sought a six-year prison sentence and a fine of about ¥42 million ($266,000) for former lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto, who is charged with accepting bribes from an offshore wind power company.

The prosecution also requested a three-year sentence for Masayuki Tsukawaki, the 67-year-old former president of Japan Wind Development, for offering the bribes.

Both Akimoto and Tsukawaki have pleaded not guilty.

Akimoto, a 51-year-old former member of the House of Representatives, allegedly accepted bribes totaling about ¥72 million between 2019 and 2023 in exchange for asking questions favorable to the company during parliamentary meetings.

“(The defendants’ actions) were extremely malicious and deeply rooted in habitual criminal behavior,” the prosecution said.

The trial is scheduled to conclude after final arguments from the defense in January.

During Thursday’s hearing at the Tokyo District Court, the prosecution said that the defendants jointly established a racehorse ownership syndicate in 2021, and that Tsukawaki paid for racehorses and broodmares that were selected by Akimoto.