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Takafumi Horie (the Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, and Sergey Brin of Japan) pleaded not guilty to fraud charges today. The founder of Japanese ISP and portal Livedoor is charged with securities fraud for allegedly falsifying earnings and spreading misinformation to boost his company's stock price.

The papers report it as a celebrity trial (the New York Times compares it to O.J.). Livedoor stock is plummeting, other Livedoor execs pleaded guilty of fraud, Horiemon dropped out of a Parliament race, and one of his aides committed suicide on a hotel bed this winter.

Such fame, such consequence, at age 33! What a young achiever!

Trial Begins for an Icon in Japan [NY Times]
Japan's pushy internet king denies fraud charges [The Age]