TOKYO (AP) — The bid-rigging trial around the Tokyo Olympics played out Tuesday in a Japanese courtroom — more than two years after the Games closed — with advertising giant Dentsu and five other companies facing criminal charges. Executives or management-level officials at each of the accused companies, and Tokyo Olympic organizing committee official Yasuo Mori, have been charged with violating anti-monopoly laws. Speaking in Tokyo district court, he said no bid process was ever decided upon or set up by the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee. Once the Olympics landed in Tokyo, Dentsu became the chief marketing arm of the Games and raised a record $3.3 billion in local sponsorship. Takahashi was a member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee and wielded powerful influence over the Olympic business.

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Persons: Koji Henmi, Yasuo Mori, Cerespo, Dentsu, Sebastian Coe, Thomas Bach, Genta Yoshino, Henmi, ” Yoshino, Yoshino, Yoshiro Mori, Toshiro Muto, Tsunekazu Takeda, Haruyuki Takahashi, Takahashi Organizations: TOKYO, Tokyo Olympics, Tokyo Olympic, Tokyu Agency, Olympic Committee, IOC, Bank of Japan, Tokyo, Japanese Olympic Committee, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Olympic, Aoki Holdings, Paris Locations: Tokyo, Dentsu, Switzerland, Japan, Sapporo, French, Salt Lake City, Osaka, paris