World News – UK – Olympic Games: Japanese minister says it is not the government’s job to look into bid payments in Tokyo

TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japan’s Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto said it was not the job of the central government to examine reports of large payments in the Tokyo campaign, which were supposed to lead to the vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC ) was addressed to various bodies in 2013.

When asked by a legislature about Reuters reporting on the matter, she said it was the responsibility of the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to clarify the activities of the offer.

IOC boss Thomas Bach said last week that no payments by the IOC through payments in 2013 and 2014 totaling more than 8 million. USD (S $ 10) were injured. 7 million) from the Tokyo Olympic Bid Committee to an executive on the Tokyo Organizing Committee.

Reuters announced in March that Haruyuki Takahashi, a former executive director of Dentsu advertising agency, has received the money from Tokyo’s bid panel for undisclosed activities.

« With regard to Mr. Takahashi, we have received confirmation that there is no violation of IOC rules, » said Bach, who was visiting Japan to inspect preparations for the Olympic Games, which is due to the coronavirus pandemic delayed by a year.

Takahashi had told Reuters that he had, among other things, lobbyed IOC members like Lamine Diack, the former power broker of the Olympic Games, who was separately convicted of corruption and to whom he gave gifts such as digital cameras and a Seiko watch.

He said he was paid through his company, Commons Inc, for « eating and drinking » people who might promote Tokyo’s offer, as well as marketing and other activities related to Tokyo’s Olympic campaign.

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Olympic Games, Minister of the Olympic Games, Government, Japan, Seiko Hashimoto, Olympic Symbols, 2020 Summer Olympic Games