Tokyo Olympics Bid-Rigging Trial Underway

Advertising giant Dentsu among companies facing charges, potential penalties include hefty fines and prison terms.

Dentsu, the advertising giant, and five other companies are facing criminal charges in a bid-rigging trial related to the Tokyo Olympics.
Seven individuals, including Koji Henmi who oversaw the sports division at Dentsu at the time, are also facing charges.
The maximum penalty for a company convicted of bid-rigging is a fine of up to 500 million yen ($3.3 million), while an individual faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 5 million yen ($33,000).
Tokyo prosecutors are also investigating a separate bribery scandal centered around Haruyuki Takahashi, a former Dentsu executive.
The scandal has ruined the chances of the northern city of Sapporo of landing the 2030 Winter Olympics.