Overview
- Miyagi Prefectural Police arrested Sugawara Kenichiro, an assistant section chief in Tomiya’s Industry and Tourism Division, and former Ando Kensetsu Kogyo president Ando Kenichi on Wednesday on suspicion of taking and giving bribes.
- Police allege Sugawara accepted about ¥280,000 in meals, lodging and rides across roughly 35 occasions between October 2023 and March 2026 as payback for advising the developer and arranging chances to present its plans to the city.
- Investigators from the prefectural police’s Investigation Division 2 carried out a search of Tomiya City Hall the same day, with about 20 officers seen entering the building with boxes and cases to collect evidence.
- Tomiya Mayor Wakai Hirosumi apologized for the damage to public trust and said the city will work to restore confidence while the suspects’ responses to the charges remain undisclosed.
- The police probe is ongoing and could lead to formal indictments and administrative reviews of the city’s handling of regional activation projects, with officials and residents watching for documents and testimony that show how development decisions were made.