秋元議員が現金用意か　提示報酬２０００万円の一部―ＩＲ証人買収・東京地検

　カジノを含む統合型リゾート（ＩＲ）事業をめぐる汚職事件に絡む証人買収事件で、組織犯罪処罰法違反（証人等買収）容疑で逮捕された衆院議員秋元司容疑者（４８）＝収賄罪で起訴＝が、贈賄側被告に提示された偽証の報酬の一部を用意していた疑いがあることが２２日、関係者への取材で分かった。
　東京地検特捜部は、秋元容疑者の議員事務所や地元事務所の家宅捜索で押収した資料を分析、資金の出どころの特定を急いでいる。
　調べや関係者によると、贈賄側の中国企業「５００ドットコム」の顧問だった紺野昌彦被告（４８）に偽証の働き掛けがあったのは、６月２７日と７月２２日の２回。１回目は１０００万円の報酬が提示され、２回目は２０００万円に増額された。（2020/08/22-05:33）

Japanese lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto, who was arrested on Thursday for alleged witness tampering over a bribery scandal linked to a casino-featuring integrated resort, is believed to have prepared part of the cash offered to a suspected briber as a reward for committing perjury, it was learned Saturday.
   The special investigation team of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is analyzing materials seized from Akimoto's offices to investigate how he secured the funds.
   Akimoto, 48, a member of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, has already been indicted on suspicion of taking bribes from Chinese company 500.com Ltd., which was planing to run an integrated resort in Japan.
   According to investigative sources, former 500.com adviser Masahiko Konno, 48, who has been indicted for allegedly bribing the lawmaker, was approached by the Akimoto side on June 27 and July 22, being asked to make statements in favor of Akimoto at his trial.
   On both dates, corporate executive Fumihiko Sato, 50, who has been arrested for allegedly asking for perjury over the bribery case, met with Konno at a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa. At the first meeting, Sato offered to give Konno 10 million yen if he makes false statements for Akimoto. The amount of the reward was raised to 20 million yen at the second meeting, the sources said.