I had a nightmare once maybe when I was in middle school.

At that time my head

was very painful but every time I close my eyes, it feels like something is pressing on
my head, making it very difficult for me to breathe and sleep.

 Host 1 (T.Anh): Good afr, everyone. I’m T.Anh, and this is my partner, M.Hanh.
Welcome back to our 10 Minutes News today, November 1st 2021, with the
breaking news: Japanese politician arrested for accepting bribes from a Chinese
company.
 Host 2 (M.Hanh): On August 20, Prosecutors  /ˈprɒs.ɪ.kjuː.tər/ alleged /əˈledʒd/
Tsukasa Akimoto who is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party
/ˌlɪb.ər.əl dem.əˈkræt.ɪk ˌpɑː.ti/, a member of the House of Councillors
/ˈkaʊn.səl.ər/ in the Diet, accepted the bribes /braɪb/, including 3.7 million yen
/jen/ (33.800 USD) from Chinese casino /kəˈsiː.nəʊ/ company 500.com.
 Host 3 (M.Dung):Congressman Akimoto, who served as Vice Minister in the
Cabinet office, was responsible for promoting casino business as part of a joint
casino development plan, which was initiated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe's government to promote tourism and economic development.
Chinese company 500.com set up a subsidiary in Japan in July 2017 to implement
plans to open a casino integrated resort in Hokkaido
 Host 1 (T.Anh):Prosecutors suspect that the Chinese company bribed Mr.
Akimoto to win contracts to build casinos and try to break into the "fatal" casino
sector in Japan.
In addition to Akimoto, the prosecutor also arrested three other people related to
this company for allegedly giving bribes to Akimoto, including the leader of the
Chinese company Zheng Xi and two advisers (Mr. Masahiko Konno - 48 years old
former Japanese consultant and another corporate advisor)
 Host 3 (M.Dung): Under these circumstances, the congressman was suspected of
asking a former mentor to the 500.com business, who was also released after bail,
to give false claims for 30 million yen through his supporters in June and July.
 Host 2 (M.Hanh): The Chinese company is also accused /əˈkjuːzd/ of bringing
millions of yen in cash into Japan without notifying /ˈnəʊ.tɪ.faɪ/ customs
/ˈkʌs·təmz/ authorities /ɔːˈθɒr.ə.ti/. The Japan’s Foreign Exchange /ˌfɒr.ən ɪks
ˈtʃeɪndʒ/ requires those who bring cash or goods worth 1 million yen or more
into Japan to notify customs. Violators /ˈvaɪ.ə.leɪ.tər/ will be fined up to
500,000 yen ($4,570) or jailed /dʒeɪl/ for up to 6 months.
 Host 1 (T.Anh): But it is rare for an incumbent lawmaker to be given a prison
sentence without suspension. Akimoto told Kyodo News on Monday he intends to
stand in the next lower house election regardless of being convicted.
His defense team said they appealed the ruling. Akimoto was taken into custody
following the ruling, but the lawyers immediately requested bail and the court
accepted it.
 Host 5 (Binh): "The statements of those who admitted to providing cash were
fully credible as they were strongly supported by objective evidence," Presiding
Judge Toshihiko Niwa said, dismissing Akimoto's claim of innocence.
 Host 2 (T.Anh): The judge also recognized Akimoto took the initiative in
organizing false court testimony, saying his action was an "unprecedented
obstruction of justice."
 Host 3 (M.Dung): Akimoto had denied receiving bribes and argued he did not ask
the former advisers to the Chinese firm to make false statements, as he only
wanted them to tell the truth.
 The court also sentenced the lawmaker's former state-paid secretary Akihiro
Toyoshima, indicted on graft charge, to two years in prison, suspended for four
years. Toyoshima, 42, had pleaded not guilty.
 Prosecutors had sought a five-year prison term and fines of about 7.6 million yen
for Akimoto, saying he accepted the bribes despite being aware of the Chinese
firm's intention of getting special treatment.
 Akimoto oversaw the government's initiative /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/ to legalize
/ˈliː.ɡəl.aɪz/ the operation of casinos at so-called integrated /ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡreɪ.tɪd/
resorts with hotels and conference /ˈkɒn.fər.əns/ facilities when he served as
senior vice minister in the Cabinet Office for about a year from September 2017.
 Host 2 (M.Hanh): He left the LDP following his initial /ɪˈnɪʃ.əl/ arrest in
December 2019 on suspicion  /səˈspɪʃ.ən/ of taking bribes.
 In the casino corruption /kəˈrʌp.ʃən/ scandal, four people were found
guilty /ˈɡɪl.ti/ of giving bribes to Akimoto and another four were also convicted
/kənˈvɪk.tɪd/ in the witness /ˈwɪt.nəs/ tampering /ˈtæm.pə.rɪŋ/ case in
conspiracy /kənˈspɪr.ə.si/ with the lawmaker  /ˈlɔːˌmeɪ.kər/. All of their rulings
/ˈruː.lɪŋ/ have been finalized /ˈfaɪ.nəl.aɪz/. Let’s hear what the Japanese
resident think about the scandal.
HânThe country's casino project, which Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has
promoted since he was chief /tʃiːf/ Cabinet /ˈkæb.ɪ.nət/ secretary /ˈsek.rə.tər.i/
under his predecessor /ˈpriː.dɪˌses.ər/ Shinzo Abe, has been at a standstill due
to the withdrawal /wɪðˈdrɔː.əl/ of interest by key foreign operators amid /ə
ˈmɪd/ the coronavirus pandemic.
 Host 4 (B.Han): In major blow to Suga, opposition-backed Takeharu Yamanaka
won the Yokohama mayoral election last month, vowing to withdraw the city's bid
to host one of the gambling resorts.
 A few hundred meters from the constituency office of Japan's top government
spokesman, a group of about 150 Yokohama residents braved the rain to protest
against ambitions to build a casino in the city.
The demonstrators called on YoshihideSuga, the chief cabinet secretary, to
"immediately scrap" the plan. "Gambling will mean the extortion of money from
the people of Yokohama and the people of Japan," group member Masatoshi Goto
shouted into a microphone at a crowd holding"No! Casino" placards. "We can't
allow this!" The protests in Yokohama echo widespread Japanese disdain for
gambling and the baggage that comes with it.
From B.Han, Yokohama, Japan. How about the expert. What are the experts say?
 Host 5 (Binh): The government plans to pick up to three locations where
integrated resorts will be permitted to open under legislation that cleared
parliament in 2018 to legalize casino gambling in Japan.
The major opposition parties have announced they will soon introduce a bill to
abolish the law on integrated resorts. “The casino-related bills were forcibly voted
on in a very short period of time, leaving behind things that weren’t exhaustively
debated,” Lower House member Hiroshi Ogushi of the Constitutional Democratic
Party of Japan said on an NTV news program.
Abe’s administration, however, has said it will proceed with the preparations,
though the prime minister himself admitted the scandal was causing unease.
“There is worry and distrust among many people, and we’ll take the necessary
measures that are based on the (casino) law,” Abe said on NHK program.
From Binh, Tokyo, Japan.
 Host 2 (M.Hanh): And that’s all for the news today. We’re M.Hanh and T.Anh
from 10 Minutes News. See you soon, and have a good day.