Tokyo prosecutors raid home of ex-Olympic board member -Kyodo

TOKYO (Reuters) -Tokyo prosecutors raided the home of former Tokyo 2020 Olympic board member Haruyuki Takahashi on Tuesday in connection with suspected inappropriate payments made to him by suit retailer Aoki Holdings Inc, Kyodo news agency said on Tuesday.

Prosecutors have also raided the office of advertising giant Dentsu, Kyodo reported. Takahashi is a former executive of Dentsu Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-listed Dentsu Group Inc, which said it was cooperating with prosecutors. Reuters was unable to contact Takahashi.

The investigation is looking into whether payments of 45 million yen ($325,544) between 2017 and 2021 to a company run by Takahashi violated a law that prohibits public servants from taking money in relation to their positions, local media has reported.

Board members of the Olympics organising committee were considered quasi-public servants. Aoki became an "official supporter" for the Tokyo Games, providing referee uniforms and selling suits sporting the Olympic emblem.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Sam Nussey and Rocky Swift; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Himani Sarkar, Frank Jack Daniel and Mark Heinrich)