NHK has learned that several officials of leading Japanese ad agency Dentsu have admitted to their involvement in bid-rigging for the test events of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Tokyo prosecutors and the Japan Fair Trade Commission suspect that Dentsu and other companies, together with the organizing committee, rigged bids for the test events.

Sources say Dentsu officials have begun to admit the illegality of their cooperation with the organizing committee.

Investigators are said to be looking into a total of 26 bids made in 2018 to select firms that would be entrusted with the planning for the test events.
Sources say the organizing committee asked Dentsu to do research on companies that had previously won tenders for sports events.

The organizing committee reportedly compiled a list of prospective companies planning to take part in its bidding.

During previous voluntary questioning by prosecutors, the Dentsu officials had said they had helped the committee with the compilation of the list. But they had argued that their cooperation didn't constitute illegal bid-rigging.

The former organizing committee deputy executive overseeing the test events is suspected of helping fix the bids based on the list, but has denied the allegations.

The investigators suspect that the Dentsu officials led the bid-rigging along with the former deputy.
Prosecutors are expected to further investigate the case with intent to file criminal charges.