Japanese media reports that Georgian ambassador to Japan gave ‘large case’ to Ivanishvili’s son during private meeting

The Japanese tabloid Shūkan Bunshun reported on Wednesday that Georgia’s ambassador to Japan held a meeting in Tokyo with Uta Ivanishvili, the eldest son of billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

During the meeting, Ambassador Teimuraz Lezhava handed Ivanishvili a large case, and reportedly asked him not to open it in public.

Shūkan Bunshun’s article was translated by the Georgian investigative outlet Studio Monitor.

Bunshun published the article titled ‘the eldest son of a pro-Putin dictator was spotted in Tokyo!’, saying that Ivanishvili was seen on 24 January in a city restaurant having a one-hour conversation with Lezhava.

The article referred to Bidzina Ivanishvili as a dictator who deepened ties with Russia, plunged Georgia into a political crisis, and became the target of economic sanctions.

According to the translated article, the meeting was held in Georgian and after it was finished, Lezhava handed the large black case to Ivanishvili, expressing hope that it would be helpful for him.

The article did not mention what was in the case or why its contents would be useful for Ivanishvili.

On 2 February, Bunshun also published a short video in which Ivanishvili, speaking in Russian, said that he has been living in Japan for two and a half years and is a video game designer.

Uta, Bidzina Ivanishvili’s eldest son, has rarely appeared in Georgian media for years and has not been active on social media, unlike his brothers.

Japanese media reported that Ivanishvili lives a luxurious life, but also is rather modest in his day-to-day activities — he walks or takes the train, uses dating apps to expand his circle of friends, and attends international exchange events held in Tokyo bars.

According to the publication, Ivanishvili also sometimes hosts parties with Russian friends.

In addition, Bunshun reported that Ivanishvili bought a ¥500 million ($3.3 million) apartment in a prime location in Tokyo, without a loan, before his assets were frozen.

The article also stated that Ivanishvili remotely founded a new company in Georgia, Atu Holding, a few days after his father was sanctioned by the US.

US sanctions Bidzina Ivanishvili

The billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream was sanctioned for undermining Georgia’s democracy for Russia’s benefit.

OC MediaYousef Bardouka

Speaking to Bunshun, Ivanishvili denied that he created Atu Holding and declined to comment on the reports of his Tokyo apartment, but did confirm he had met Lezhava.

When asked if he is informed about the current situation in Georgia, Ivanishvili told journalists that he doesn’t live in the country and doesn’t want to comment on events there.

On 27 December of last year, the US sanctioned Ivanishvili for ‘undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation’.

On 29 January, Transparency International (TI) — Georgia reported that Bidzina Ivanishvili, as well as  his family members, have begun moving their assets from offshore zones back to Georgia.

Bidzina Ivanishvili and family reportedly transfer offshore assets to Georgia

In April 2024, Georgian Dream changed the country’s tax code to exempt companies from taxes in case they transferred their assets to Georgia.

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TI stated ‘it is likely that by the end of this process, the Ivanishvili family will have fully transferred their Georgian assets from offshore structures’, worth around ₾163 million ($57 million) in registered capital.

According to local media, from 31 December to 20 January, Ivanishvili, his wife Ekaterina Khvedelidze, and son Uta registered four new joint-stock companies in Georgia, including JSC Atu Holding, JSC Terra, JSC Lusol, and JSC GCF Georgia.

On Thursday, Lezhava, who has over 350,000 followers on X, posted a photo in which he is standing on the street with his face covered by the issue of the Bunshun magazine containing the article about his meeting with Ivanishvili, along with the caption, ‘I thought it was the first spring breeze, but it turned out to be a Bunshun bullet’.

On 5 December of last year, Lezhava, according to the Georgian Public Broadcaster, said that the Georgian government is neither pro-Russian nor opposed to joining the EU.

The opposition party For Georgia stated on Friday that an investigation conducted by a Japanese media outlet raised suspicions that Ivanishvili’s family is using diplomatic mail and diplomatic immunity, which Lezhava enjoys, for their own personal purposes.

‘Perhaps the mail is being used to evade sanctions and transfer black money’, the statement read, adding that the article raised ‘a reasonable suspicion that the Georgian diplomatic service and diplomats are involved in serving the personal interests of Ivanishvili and his family’.

‘This is a gross violation not only of Georgian legislation, but also of international conventions, and could result in a major diplomatic scandal’.

Georgians throughout the country have been protesting for more than 70 days against the government’s policies and the announcement the ruling party would halt the country’s EU accession process. The political crisis followed October’s parliamentary elections, which according to official results, gave the ruling Georgian Dream party a large majority, with 54% of the vote.

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