Japanese Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda is the latest high-ranking official to be accused of corruption related to Japan’s coming integrated resort (IR) industry.
The Shukan Shincho reports that, while on a visit to Macau in August 2018, Hagiuda accepted “super VIP treatment” from the Galaxy Entertainment Group, which is expected to bid on a Japan IR license. According to the publication, he stayed at the luxurious Banyan Tree Macau hotel and was ferried from the ferry to the hotel by a senior Galaxy executive.
During a March 8 House of Councillors committee meeting, an opposition lawmaker confronted Hagiuda about the allegations, reported Asia Gaming Brief. The minister said he paid all the hotel expenses, and the pick-up from his hotel was a free service. Hagiuda added he may take legal action against the magazine.
Hagiuda is one of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s closest aides and one of the most outspoken advocates of IR development in Japan.
