Recruit Scandal - Recruit Scandal

Japanese: リクルート事件 - りくるーとじけん

In order to expand its business, Recruit, a major company providing employment and housing information, donated unlisted shares in affiliated companies that were sure to rise in value after going public to powerful figures in the Liberal Democratic Party and other ruling and opposition party politicians, business leaders, and media executives. In 1989 (Heisei 1), the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Division indicted a total of 12 people on bribery charges across four routes: the political world, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Education. Two people involved in the political route have been found guilty: former Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujinami Takao and former House of Representatives member Ikeda Katsuya.

[Gorou Hashimoto]

The course of events

The case came to light in June 1988 with the transfer of stocks to the deputy mayor of Kawasaki City, and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office began an investigation following the arrest of the former head of the president's office of Recruit Co. in October of the same year. Around the same time, it was discovered that cabinet-level politicians, high-ranking bureaucrats, and business leaders had transferred Recruit Cosmos stocks and received donations from Recruit Co. Among the cabinet members, Finance Minister Miyazawa Kiichi, Justice Minister Hasegawa Takashi, and Economic Planning Agency Director-General Harada Ken were forced to resign one after the other. Investigative authorities arrested former Recruit Co. chairman Ezoe Hiromasa in February 1989, and in March, they arrested former NTT chairman Shinto Hisashi (convicted in 1990), former Vice Minister of Labor Kato Takashi (convicted in 1992), and former Vice Minister of Education Takaishi Kunio. In April of the same year, it was revealed that those around Prime Minister Takeshita Noboru had borrowed 50 million yen from Recruit, which led to Takeshita announcing his resignation. In May, Fujinami and Ikeda were indicted without being placed in custody, sending shock waves through the political world.

[Gorou Hashimoto]

Political significance

The Recruit scandal attracted attention because, rather than directly transferring cash, it involved the transfer of unlisted stocks that were sure to rise in value, a new method that, from the recipient's perspective, was like "getting money without any effort." The transfers to politicians included leaders and influential figures in the LDP, as well as mid-ranking politicians with promising futures. The scale of the scandal was unprecedented in previous political scandals, and it caused strong public distrust in politics. As a result, the LDP suffered a major defeat in the July 1989 House of Councillors election, and the ruling and opposition parties reversed positions. This scandal was a major factor in this, and became a trigger for later discussions of political reform.

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Takao Fujinami was found not guilty at first trial for accepting bribes, but was later found guilty at second trial and appealed, but in October 1999 the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal. The main issue in the case was whether the money flowing to politicians should be considered as mere donations or as bribes. The fact that the Supreme Court upheld the second trial ruling that found the money to be bribes is of no small significance.

[Gorou Hashimoto]

[References] | Political Party Law | Noboru Takeshita

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

就職・住宅情報などの大手リクルート社が、事業拡大のため自由民主党の実力者など与野党議員、経済界、マスコミなどの幹部へ、公開後値上がり確実な関連会社の未公開株をばらまいたり、献金をした事件。東京地検特捜部は1989年（平成1）、政界、日本電信電話株式会社（NTT）、当時の労働省、文部省の4ルートにわたって計12人を贈収賄罪で起訴した。政界ルートでは、元官房長官藤波孝生(ふじなみたかお)と元衆院議員池田克也の2人の有罪が確定している。

［橋本五郎］

事件の経過

この事件は1988年（昭和63）6月、川崎市助役への株譲渡で疑惑が発覚、東京地検は同年10月のリクルート社元社長室長の逮捕を突破口に捜査に着手した。これと前後して、閣僚級の政治家、高級官僚、財界人がリクルートコスモス株の譲渡やリクルート社からの献金を受けていたことが判明した。閣僚では蔵相宮沢喜一、法相長谷川峻(はせがわたかし)、経済企画庁長官原田憲が相次いで辞任に追い込まれた。捜査当局は、89年2月にリクルート社元会長江副浩正(えぞえひろまさ)を逮捕、3月には、NTT元会長真藤恒(しんとうひさし)（1990年に有罪確定）、元労働事務次官加藤孝（1992年に有罪確定）、元文部事務次官高石邦男らを逮捕した。同年4月には首相竹下登周辺がリクルート社から5000万円の借金をしていたことが明らかになり、竹下が退陣を表明、さらに5月、藤波、池田が在宅起訴されるなど政界に激震が走った。

［橋本五郎］

政治的な意義

リクルート事件は直接現金を受け渡しするのではなく、値上がりが確実な未公開株を譲渡するという、もらう側からいえば、いわば「濡れ手に粟(あわ)」の新しい手口で注目された。政治家への譲渡は、自民党の首脳、実力者から将来性のある中堅議員まで含まれていた。その規模の広さは従来の政治スキャンダルにみられないもので、国民の強い政治不信を引き起こした。その結果、1989年7月の参院選で自民党は大敗し、与野党が逆転したが、この事件はその大きな要因となり、後の政治改革論議の糸口となった。

　元官房長官藤波孝生は、受託収賄をめぐって一審で無罪となったが、二審で一転有罪となり上告したが、1999年10月、最高裁は上告棄却の決定を行った。政治家に流れる金を単なる献金とみるか、賄賂(わいろ)と考えるかが焦点であった。最高裁が、その金を賄賂ととらえた二審判決を支持したことのもつ意義は小さくない。

［橋本五郎］

[参照項目] | 政党法 | 竹下登

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