TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 37-year-old former Japan Post employee for allegedly rigging mail collection contracts in exchange for cash and lavish Tokyo Disney Resort vacations, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 20).
Nobuyuki Yoneda, a resident of Adachi Ward, was taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of aggravated bribery under the Japan Post Co., Ltd. Act, which strictly prohibits employees from accepting bribes in connection with their duties.
According to police, the corruption centers around a February 2025 bidding process for “collection operations” — the daily gathering of letters and postcards from mailboxes across four post offices in Tokyo.
Police allege Yoneda maliciously manipulated the bidding system to ensure the lucrative contract went to Haruki Express, a delivery firm based in Itabashi Ward.
Police have not disclosed whether the suspects have admitted to the charges.
“Reserve price”
Prior to the auction, Yoneda allegedly forced participating companies to submit their estimated operational costs. He then intentionally set Japan Post’s official “reserve price” below those estimates, guaranteeing that all initial bids would be rejected for being too high.
Under Japan Post’s rules, if no winner is decided, the company can bypass standard auctions and negotiate a direct “discretionary contract” with the closest bidder. Thanks to Yoneda’s adjustments and leaked insider information, Haruki Express secured the contract for approximately 180 million yen—more than double the initial reserve price.
In return for his services, police say Yoneda received 100,000 yen in cash and roughly 1.1 million yen worth of Tokyo Disney Resort hotel stays and tour packages between October 2024 and May 2025.
Systemic culture of corruption
Authorities also arrested 56-year-old Koichi Nishimura, the representative director of Haruki Express, along with one other individual, on suspicion of bribery.
The investigation has also hinted at a deeper, systemic culture of corruption. Authorities are currently looking into allegations that Yoneda’s predecessor at Japan Post may have also received kickbacks from the company in the form of premium beef and escorts from the sex industry to secure their cozy business relationship.
The massive bid-rigging scheme was uncovered during an internal probe by Japan Post, which resulted in Yoneda being fired in April. Following the arrests on Tuesday, the company issued a statement saying, “We take this situation very seriously and will thoroughly enforce employee compliance and guidance.”
