TOKYO: University of Tokyo officials issued a public apology on Wednesday after a second medical professor was arrested for bribery, including allegedly accepting sexual services, while working for Japan's top school.
Tokyo police last week arrested dermatology professor Shinichi Sato in connection with accepting expensive meals, visits to hostess clubs and even accepting sexual services at "soapland" establishments.
"As an educational and research institution, we have profoundly betrayed the trust of society, and we offer our deepest and most sincere apologies," university president Teruo Fujii said at a news conference, pledging reforms at the school.
It followed the November arrest of a plastic surgeon who allegedly accepted bribes from a medical equipment manufacturer.
Sato is suspected of accepting various favours from a Tokyo-based group that was exploring business opportunities in the use of cannabidiol (CBD) for skin products.
The group, Japan Cosmetic Association, wanted to conduct a joint study on CBD, hoping to use the university's prestige and show the product's effectiveness on skin conditions, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.
University president Fujii also acknowledged that Tokyo prosecutors were investigating a former associate professor of dermatology, who worked with Sato but has left the school, over his role in the bribery scandal.
The bribes started February 2023 through September 2024, when their relationship soured, according to lawyer Tadashi Kunihiro, who was hired by the university to investigate the matter.
The two doctors "accepted meals and entertainment at expensive restaurants, luxury lounges and hostess clubs, and also received services involving sexual services at sexual establishments like soaplands," Kunihiro told the news conference at the university.
The head of the company later asked police for help, arguing that Sato tried to extort cash from the firm, according to the Asahi. - AFP
