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Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid leader questioned in Diet

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At least its in the right section here Crime....

11 ( +11 / -0 )

One of the leaders of Tokyo’s winning bid for the 2020 Olympics told the Diet Tuesday that he cannot reveal the details of a contract with a Singapore firm that has enmeshed the bid in a French bribery investigation.

This isn't a national security issue, no one's lives are at stake here, so why the secrecy? Unless of course you are trying to cover your butt and the committee's butts at the same time!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I hear London are already designing their logo for the 2020 Olympics as this fiasco is going to end up with Tokyo losing it. Of course the Brits will not steal the design as Japan did and the stadium is already built.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

“We looked into the content of this contract but this is a confidential matter,” Tsunekazu Takeda said under questioning from lawmakers. “So, I understand that I am not allowed to unveil the content without gaining approval from the counterpart.”

At least it wasn't "I was drunk and don't remember"

8 ( +8 / -0 )

This is called a house of cards.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Sorry but if what he did was not actually illegal.... it should be. Think about it. The $2 million in "consulting fees" was paid to the Son of a very influential person in the Olympic bid process. The Son! There must be some rule in the Olympic Bid mandate that says.... It is against the rules to compensate any Board Member or Family Member in order to gain favor in the Decision. The saddest part about this... no one seems surprised or outraged.... just business as usual.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

We looked into the content of this contract but it was already put in the shredder.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Does anyone really expect the truth to be told in a diet session? There is history of regrettable misunderstandings as people evade the truth.

BTW, looks a really high-class consulting office!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The idea of the chronically corrupt Toshiaki Endo urging clarity is laughable.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Citizen 2012:

Exactly. And non-disclosure agreements always have a provision that disclosure can and will be made when required by relevant governmental authorities. It doesn't come much more authoritative than a parliament committee. He should be hounded on that point mercilessly until he comes clean.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Hiding behind a NDA when questioned by the diet to explain if you did any wrongdoings with public money, this is looking more and more shady. Send the police and grab that contract for god sake, do it before some other country ask for it.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Cut and paste from the UK press.

"The head of the Istanbul 2020 Olympic bid that lost out to Tokyo has said that the 2020 Games may have to be staged in London if a French criminal investigation concludes that the Japanese made illegal payments to the company at the centre of the athletics corruption scandal."

3 ( +3 / -0 )

international lobbying advice...

Such as... who to bribe and with how much - an 'understanding' gained

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Tsunekazu Takeda is stalling. Not surprised if disclosure clauses relating to commercially sensitive interests are not wheeled out next.

After all there is technically no definable existence of contractually recognized principle of disclosure.

The question is how far into the deep and smelly the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology and by association Central Government are involved? ....

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The obvious questions are: Why did you, Mr Takeda, as one of the parties to the contract, agree to a confidentiality clause? What does the clause state, exactly? What are the penalties for breaking the clause? I think He can speak freely in the Diet if he wanted to, but as he is a crook he chooses not to.

Other questions: How and why did you decide to use that particular firm? How many other firms submitted bids for the work? Where was the call for bids advertised? What were the deliverables in the contract and why can't we see them?

Instead of appearing before the Diet Mr Takeda should be in a cell being questioned by the police. I expect the shredder in his office is working overtime at the moment. Once the evidence has been destroyed we will be treated to the usual scene of men carrying boxes of documents out of the building.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

“We looked into the content of this contract but this is a confidential matter,” Tsunekazu Takeda said under questioning from lawmakers. “So, I understand that I am not allowed to unveil the content without gaining approval from the counterpart.”

Olympic bid committee plays this nation and others for fools. The responsible cabinet minister acquiesces:

“I understand there is a matter of confidentiality but we would like for them to investigate this issue ... and handle it in a way that could gain understanding from the people of Japan,” (Japanese Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo) said.

A quick search found this on Endo:

In February 2016 it emerged that he had received ¥9.5 million over five years in donations from the head of an unnamed Tokyo-based teacher dispatch company[2] as the company was trying to boost the use of Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) across Japan. It was alleged that due to the donations Endo lobbied for greater use of ALTs and supported a project the company was pushing. Staff of the company spoke about how they appreciated Endo's efforts.[3] Endo admitted the donations and expanding the use of ALTs but claimed that he had done nothing wrong.[4] Prime Minister Abe defended Endo and said "“My administration would never let cash affect its policies”.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiaki_Endo

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So what he is saying is that we can't tell you, the democratically elected legislators of this country, the content of a contract that we entered into with a corrupt foreign official, unless we get thatsame corrupt official to agree to it. And given that the contract likely contains evidence of both us and the corrupt foreign official having committed a serious crime, we'll just sit behind his failure to agree to it and hope that buys us enough time for this to blow over.

Part of the problem is that Diet committees themselves have limited powers to compel the production of evidence like this. When the prosecutors opena criminal case and the issue gets into the court system, the content of the contract will have to be disclosed.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Takeda's refusal to disclose a simple commercial agreement will only comfort the French investigators that they are in the right track. The picture of the so called Japanese hired consultant office for securing a worldwide event like the Olympic games is almost a guilty confession by itself.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You'll be able to get away with murder soon enough if you grease the right palms

danalawton1 ; I suggest you google Issei Sagawa.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The mods here are a faceless bunch of trucking shunts.

Moderator: Using language like this reflects poorly on yourself.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yubaru - yeah I know, the "elected legislators" I was referring to were the members of the committee he was testifying before, who are elected members of the Diet.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yubaru - yeah I know, the "elected legislators" I was referring to were the members of the committee he was testifying before, who are elected members of the Diet.

Alright then just what "serious crime" has been committed?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The guy denied receiving the money yet Tokyo insists it was a leg image consulting fee. What's wrong with this picture?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The guy denied receiving the money yet Tokyo insists it was a leg image consulting fee. What's wrong with this picture?

Doesn't look like the office of a 2 million dollar per contract consultancy, does it.....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

a company called Black Tidings. / AAF President Lamine Diack, who is facing corruption charges.

Black tidings & Lame duck.. this is another Olympic Willie Coyote script... cept its our taxes / not funny

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Don't worry AKB48 will redeem Japans image come the opening ceremony....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Alright then just what "serious crime" has been committed?

Well, it is being alleged that a bribe was paid to a foreign official, which I believe would clearly constitute an offence under Japan`s Unfair Competition Prevention Law, which deals directly with the issue of bribing foreign officials (Japan is a signatory to the Convention of Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and criminalized such bribes to comply with the treaty).

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The 2020 Olympics preparation is looking more and more like a "dramedy" with each new fiasco revelation. Are we going to actually see it?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One of the leaders of Tokyo’s winning bid for the 2020 Olympics told the Diet Tuesday that he cannot reveal the details of a contract with a Singapore firm that has enmeshed the bid in a French bribery investigation.

Because if he did, it would spell another scandal- that's what he really means

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I am not really surprised about all the under the table dealing, the IOC itself is basically corrupted org and should be disbanded a while ago. What does surprise me is Japan not going the extra mile to cover the bribe properly from the start and I am sure they could someone better to bribe than that Papa dude....

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So what he is saying is that we can't tell you, the democratically elected legislators of this country,

Please read the article again. The guy testifying before the Diet committee session is not an elected official.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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