The most recent case with bribery around the Tokyo Olympics made me wonder again, why are Japanese bribes seemingly so low?
I can’t recall all the cases I’ve read over the years but there were even politicians who took bribes of “only” 100,000 USD. How come people are willing to risk everything for a relatively small amount? Maybe I’m biased by US media where everything is in the millions but if they decide to commit a crime, why not go big?
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Because these are very polite bribes over here.
Bribes are also a function in a way of supply and demand. Ability to launder it clean may also play a part.
Politicians really aren’t that expensive. You can ~~buy~~ lobby American congresspeople for embarrassingly low amounts.
* it’s the amount they got caught for, not the actual amount they were paid
* it’s often merely a greeting and the actual profit comes from the business directed at the receiver
>How come people are willing to risk everything for a relatively small amount?
I doubt that they saw it as a risk, just a normal part of business, whereas larger amounts would potentially draw more attention and outrage.
The prosecution cannot go for bribery unless they have the guy dead to rights. So if 100,000 USD is what they got caught for, there might be n amount of cash that is “kinda sus but can’t prove it yet”
Don’t they usually come with lucrative long-term connections?
It all comes down to leverage. Let’s say you’re a government official and I successfully bribe you to break the law for $100, with the promise of another $1,000 to come. Once you’ve broken the law, what incentive is there for me to uphold that promise? You’ll either hold your silence and continue to play nice, or maybe news of your corruption leaks to the press / your opponents / law enforcement.
All the bribing party really need is that initial amount, which only has to be large enough to tempt the government official to commit a single transgression. $100k hits the sweet spot.
Japanese politicians are surprisingly cheap (see the fiasco with the unification church for example). Is it a sign of low competition, high supply and limited demand, or just further proof that consumer prices have been stagnant for decades now?