NHK has learned that lawmaker Akimoto Masatoshi, who is suspected of accepting bribes from a wind power generation company, received about 10 million yen in cash, or roughly 70,000 dollars, at his Lower House member's office.

Akimoto is alleged to have received around 211,000 dollars from Japan Wind Development. Tokyo prosecutors searched Akimoto's office, the wind power company's headquarters and elsewhere on suspicion of bribery.

Akimoto resigned from his post as a parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs and left the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio following investigators' searches at his office and other places. He was a key member of the party's renewable energy initiative.
Sources say some 70,000 of the 211,000 dollars provided by the developer's president, Tsukawaki Masayuki, between October 2021 and June of this year was handed over in cash at Akimto's office in a Lower House members' building in Tokyo.

The sources say most of the money was spent in the next few days on purchasing racehorses, among other things. They say Akimoto and the firm's president jointly set up a racehorse owner's group.
The sources say payments related to the group and its bank account were solely managed by Akimoto.

Prosecutors apparently believe the money Tsukawaki provided to the group was actually a bribe intended for Akimoto who effectively manages the group.

Tsukawaki's lawyer says the provided money was all for operating expenses, which group members are required to shoulder. The lawyer denied the money was not provided to Akimoto as an individual and insisted it was not a bribe.