Japan: Court sets bail for Japanese lawmaker held over casino bribery case at 30 mil. yen

Tuesday 11th February 2020

A Japanese lawmaker charged with taking bribes from a Chinese firm, which was seeking to open a casino resort in Japan, was granted bail on Feb. 10, with the amount set at 30 million yen.

The Tokyo District Court granted bail to Tsukasa Akimoto, 48, a House of Representatives member who left the ruling Liberal Democratic Party following his arrest in December 2019 over the bribery case, after his lawyer requested his release on Feb. 3, when the lawmaker was indicted on additional charges.

It is rare for a court to allow bail of an accused person in a bribery case handled by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation unit while the person fully denies the allegations.