dentsu controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2023
Tokyo Olympics bid-rigging case
Japan's competition regulator filed criminal complaints against Dentsu and other companies over alleged coordination of contracts for the Tokyo Games. The cited reference states that Dentsu admitted liability.
2022
Tokyo Olympics bribery investigation
A former Dentsu executive was arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes from sponsors connected with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
2020
Woodstock 50 organizers sue Dentsu over alleged sabotage
Lawsuit filed
Organizers for Woodstock 50 filed suit against Dentsu and related defendants, alleging they conspired to breach the festival contract and harmed the festival. The allegations are reported as claims in the lawsuit.
Source excerpt
The organizers of Woodstock 50 have filed suit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against Dentsu, a Japanese firm that had agreed to finance the doomed festival scheduled for August 2019 but officially canceled in July, Variety reports.
The festival alleges that Dentsu Group, Dentsu Aegis Network, and MKTG conspired with Dentsu affiliate Amplifi to instigate the breach of its contract with the festival, accusing them of âabscondingâ with millions of dollars and âattackingâ the festival in the press in an attempt to âkill the festival.â
2017
Labor-law conviction
Dentsu was prosecuted and convicted as a corporation for allowing illegal levels of overtime. The company was fined, and its president and chief executive resigned during the aftermath.
2015
Matsuri Takahashi death and karoshi controversy
Employee Matsuri Takahashi died by suicide after working excessive hours. Japanese authorities recognized the death as karoshi, or death from overwork, leading to intense scrutiny of Dentsu's overtime practices and workplace culture.