Tsuguhiko Kadokawa was detained by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office today, according to Japanese reports, as Kadokawa's links to former Tokyo 2020 Executive Board member Haruyuki Takahashi are probed.

Prosecutors are investigating allegations that Takahashi accepted bribes in return for helping companies become sponsors of the Olympics.

Kadokawa Corporation was selected to produce the guidebooks and records for Tokyo 2020 and was a Games sponsor.

Its chairman is suspected of giving JPY70 million (£434,000/$499,000/€501,000) in what prosecutors say amounted to bribes to a consulting firm led by an associate of Takahashi, news agency Kyodo reports.

The payment was branded as a consulting fee.

The chairman's house has previously been searched by prosecutors and Kadokawa denied involvement in any bribery scheme. 

Takahashi and individuals from retailer Aoki Holdings including the company's founder, Hironori Aoki, were arrested as part of the investigation prior to Kadokawa's arrest.

Yoshirō Mori, the former Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee President, was also voluntarily questioned by prosecutors last week.

Mori was appointed President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee in 2014 but resigned in February 2021 in disgrace after making sexist comments during a Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) meeting.

Mori is also a former Prime Minister of Japan.

Takahashi, who is at the centre of the investigation, was accused of accepting JPY51 million (£316,000/$364,000/€366,000) in bribes from Aoki Holdings last month 

The former senior managing director of Dentsu is said have played an influential role in Tokyo's marketing for the Olympics.

Daiko Advertising, another Games sponsor, had its offices search by prosecutors in Osaka in connection with the bribery investigation last week along with a new arrest warrant being issued against Takahashi on September 8.

The scandal is threatening to derail Sapporo's bid for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games.

A visit from Sapporo's Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto to the International Olympic Committee headquarters was cancelled earlier in the month, although both sides have blamed a scheduling conflict.

Akimoto and JOC President Yasuhiro Yamashita have signed a joint commitment to ensure that the city's bid to stage the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics is free from corruption in response to the scandal.