3 defense officials indicted for bid rigging
February 20, 2006The prosecutors on Monday indicted three current and former Defense Facilities Administration Agency officials for playing leading roles in rigging bids for tenders for air-conditioning projects between November 2004 and March 2005. The three, including the incumbent official, Takayoshi Kawano, 57, who held the third-highest post at the entity as technical councilor, and his predecessor Mamoru Ikezawa, 57, are believed to have conspired with employees of three manufacturers -- Taikisha Ltd., Shinryo Corp. and Sanki Engineering Co. -- which formed consortiums and were awarded the contracts.
Nikkei briefly hits 4-week low below 15,500 in morning
February 20, 2006Tokyo stocks declined broadly Monday morning following falls in U.S. shares on Friday, briefly sending the benchmark Nikkei to a four-week low below the 15,500 mark. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended the morning at 15,654.38, down 59.07 points, or 0.38 percent, after briefly falling to 15,465.46, its lowest intraday level since Jan. 23.