The Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office has opted against indicting its former head, Hiromu Kurokawa, for alleged illegal gambling during Japan’s recent state of emergency.
As previously reported by Inside Asian Gaming, Kurokawa recently tendered his resignation over revelations he illegally played mahjong for money during Japan’s state of emergency. He was found at the time to have visited the home of a reporter from the Sankei Shimbun on 1 May where they and others played and bet on mahjong. An employee of another major Japanese daily newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun, was also in attendance.
It was also alleged that he had accepted bribes by taking a luxury taxi home afterwards that was paid for by the Sankei Shimbun.
According to the Jiji Press, 63-year-old Kurokawa admitted to gambling but the Public Prosecutors Office dismissed on account of the bets placed being small. It added that mahjong is permitted under the law regulating adult entertainment and amusement and that Kurokawa’s game with the newspaper employees was a form of entertainment.
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