KUMAMOTO – The CEO of a local construction firm arrested for bribery in connection with the new Yatsushiro City Hall project received approximately 580 million yen in lucrative subcontracts from the project’s main contractor, it was learned on Thursday, reports Kyodo News (May 9).
Chusuke Sonokawa, 61, representative director of Yatsushiro-based Sonokawa Gumi, is accused of acting as the primary fixer in a sprawling corruption case. According to work history reports submitted to the prefecture in 2022 and 2023, his company banked roughly 492 million yen for building construction and 88 million yen for exterior work.
All of the work was subcontracted from the primary contractor, Tokyo-based construction giant Maeda Corporation.
According to investigative sources, the scheme was set in motion around 2016. Following the devastating Kumamoto earthquake, plans began to float regarding the reconstruction of the severely damaged Yatsushiro City Hall. Sonokawa allegedly leaked this inside information directly to the Kyushu branch manager of Maeda Corporation.
To grease the wheels for the Tokyo firm, Sonokawa then introduced Maeda executives to Yukio Narimatsu, 54, a highly influential Yatsushiro city council member who has also been arrested. Police believe this introduction triggered a coordinated campaign of illegal lobbying directed at city officials to secure the bid.
A joint task force comprised of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the Kumamoto Prefectural Police is currently investigating the full timeline of the collusion between the contractor, the middleman and the local politician.
Shinkansen
Last week, Narimatsu was arrested for receiving a bribe of 60 million yen from Maeda Corporation for the city hall work. It has now been revealed that the alleged bribe was transported by Shinkansen (bullet train) from Fukuoka to Kumamoto, reports Fuji News Network (May 9).
The individuals who have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of bribery for influence peddling are Narimatsu, Sonokawa and Teruyuki Matsuura, 84, a former city council member.
Subsequent investigations revealed that an employee of Maeda Construction’s Kyushu branch transported a suitcase containing 60 million yen on the Shinkansen bullet train from Fukuoka, where the branch is located, to Kumamoto.
Afterward, Narimatsu guided the employee to Matsuura’s home by car, where the cash was handed over.
