Ex-prosecutor Hotta, who probed Lockheed scandal, dies at 90

Tsutomu Hotta — who investigated as a prosecutor a case known as the Lockheed bribery scandal, one of the largest corruption cases in postwar Japan — died of natural causes on Nov. 24. He was 90.
Born in Kyoto Prefecture, Hotta became a prosecutor in 1961 and worked as a member of the special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office for about eight years from 1976.
In the investigation into the Lockheed scandal, he was dispatched to the United States and attended an interrogation of a former vice chairman of Lockheed, currently Lockheed Martin. In Japan, the scandal led to the arrests of politicians including former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
Hotta later served as head of the Justice Ministry’s personnel division, chief prosecutor at the Kofu District Public Prosecutor’s Office and executive at the ministry. After leaving office in 1991, he registered as a lawyer.
That year, Hotta established the predecessor of the Sawayaka Fukushi Zaidan public interest incorporated foundation. He led the organization to work on the promotion of volunteer activities amid the aging of the population.
Hotta was active in a wide range of fields and was selected as head of a study group the welfare ministry set up to discuss measures to improve elderly care services over the medium to long term. He also sat on the government’s Tax Commission.
He chaired an expert panel to decide how to distribute donations made to the Japanese Red Cross Society and the Central Community Chest of Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.
In 2023, he was recognized as an honorary citizen of Tokyo for his achievements in the area of social culture.