Japan Cancer Center Hospital Ex-Doctor Arrested over Bribery

From Jiji

September 21 2023

TOKYO – Tokyo police Thursday arrested a 47-year-old former chief physician of the National Cancer Center Hospital East near Tokyo for allegedly taking bribes in return for giving special treatment to a medical equipment maker.

 The Metropolitan Police Department suspects that the doctor, Yusuke Hashimoto, a U.S. resident, favored the company, Zeon Medical Inc., in the selection of medical equipment to be used at the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Oncology of the hospital in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture.

The MPD also arrested Noboru Yanagida, 67, former president of the Tokyo-based company on suspicion of giving bribes to Hashimoto.

Hashimoto allegedly had the company pay 1.7 million yen into his bank account around May 2021 in exchange for favoring Zeon Medical products over those made by rival companies.

According to the MPD, Hashimoto, associate professor at the University of Florida, was in charge of selecting medical equipment to be used at the department as its head at the time.