TOKYO (TR) – The Tokyo District Court on Thursday handed a suspended prison sentence to a former graduate school professor at the prestigious University of Tokyo for accepting sex-business bribes in exchange for academic favors, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 22).
Shinichi Sato was accused of receiving entertainment worth approximately 1.83 million yen from the former representative director of the Japan Cosmetics Association. Between 2023 and early 2024, Sato was treated to nights at high-end hostess clubs and soapland bathhouses in return for providing preferential treatment in a joint research project.
Sato admitted to the charges during the trial.
In handing down the ruling, the presiding judge condemned the former professor’s actions. “The entertainment received was hedonistic and highly sexual in nature, which severely undermined the integrity of his professional duties,” the court stated.
However, the judge also offered a mitigating factor, noting that the bribing party had actively sought to exploit the prestige and branding of the University of Tokyo’s academic program.
Sato was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and ordered to pay a supplementary penalty of approximately 1.83 million yen.