A former executive of a major Japanese advertising agency has pleaded not guilty of bribery over a sponsorship deal for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021.

Taniguchi Yoshikazu told the Tokyo District Court on Monday that the money transaction in question is part of normal business for ad companies.

Taniguchi is the first to plead not guilty among those who have been indicated in Tokyo Games bribery cases.

He is charged with giving 6.5 million yen, or about 48,000 dollars, to former Games organizing committee executive Takahashi Haruyuki.

Prosecutors told the court that Taniguchi agreed to Takahashi's proposal to equally split a commission paid by the committee between Takahashi and ad agency Daiko if he would help the company sign a sponsorship deal.

They also said the defendant asked Takahashi to discount sponsorship money.

The defense team said they won't contest the transaction, but that Taniguchi just paid the commission in accordance with a plan Takahashi and ad giant Dentsu had created.

The team added that the money was paid in exchange for a deal signed before Takahashi became a committee executive, who is regarded as a civil servant, so the defendant cannot be charged with bribery.

Former executives of five major Japanese companies have been charged in connection with bribery cases centered on Takahashi. With Taniguchi's trial, court procedures for all the five cases are underway.