Former President of Medical Device Firm Acquitted in Bribery Case
The Tokyo District Court has acquitted Noboru Yanagida, the former president of medical device manufacturer Zeon Medical, of bribery charges. The case centered on allegations that Yanagida paid approximately 1.7 million yen to a physician at the National Cancer Center Hospital East to influence the selection of the company's bile duct stents. Although prosecutors argued the payment was a bribe disguised as research compensation, Presiding Judge Masataka Nakagawa ruled that the charge could not stand because the receiving physician lacked awareness that he was accepting a bribe. The physician had previously been found not guilty in February 2026, a verdict that became final after prosecutors did not appeal. The court acknowledged that while the contract aimed to promote product sales, the physician believed the payment was legitimate remuneration for valid research activities. This ruling marks an unusual outcome where both parties in a bribery investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second Investigation Division were acquitted. Prosecutors are currently reviewing the judgment to determine further action.
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Former President of Medical Device Firm Acquitted in Bribery Case
The Tokyo District Court has acquitted Noboru Yanagida, the former president of medical device manufacturer Zeon Medical, of bribery charges. The case centered on allegations that Yanagida paid approximately 1.7 million yen to a physician at the National Cancer Center Hospital East to influence the selection of the company's bile duct stents. Although prosecutors argued the payment was a bribe disguised as research compensation, Presiding Judge Masataka Nakagawa ruled that the charge could not stand because the receiving physician lacked awareness that he was accepting a bribe. The physician had previously been found not guilty in February 2026, a verdict that became final after prosecutors did not appeal. The court acknowledged that while the contract aimed to promote product sales, the physician believed the payment was legitimate remuneration for valid research activities. This ruling marks an unusual outcome where both parties in a bribery investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second Investigation Division were acquitted. Prosecutors are currently reviewing the judgment to determine further action.
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