A JR Freight employee in Kyushu has been arrested on suspicion of taking ¥2.53 million in bribes from a subcontractor over construction orders, the latest arrest to hit the state-linked freight operator's procurement.
The arrest of Kazuma Abe, 37, on suspicion of bribery under the JR Companies Act came after a second employee at the same branch was arrested and charged over separate payments, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
Masahiro Matsuo, head of JR Freight's Kyushu branch, and other officials apologized at a news conference in Kitakyushu on Thursday.
"We are extremely sorry for the enormous trouble and concern we have caused," Matsuo said.
The payments
Fukuoka prefectural police arrested Abe, of Moji Ward, Kitakyushu, on Wednesday, according to the prefectural police's investigative division.
Police suspect that between December 2023 and April 2026 he recommended that a self-employed contractor, Katsuji Fukumura, 75, receive electrical work orders as a subcontractor.
He is also suspected of arranging for the work to be ordered at inflated prices. In return, he allegedly received a total of ¥2.53 million from Fukumura on 11 occasions.
Fukumura was arrested on suspicion of bribery in the same case. Investigators believe the deposited cash was used to buy race tickets, according to people involved in the investigation.
An earlier case at the same branch
The Kyushu branch was also the subject of an arrest in September, when employee Shinichi Zaizen, 62, was suspected of receiving ¥900,000 in cash from a subcontractor. He was later charged.
JR Freight said Zaizen submitted a resignation notice after being charged, and that the company accepted it. He has not been subject to disciplinary action.
Matsuo said the company had worked to ensure legal compliance. "We take seriously that a similar case occurred," he said.