EDITORIAL: Warning to bureaucrats (651).

On Tuesday, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Masuo Morodomi, the former head of the Defense Agency's procurement office, to a three-year prison term, suspended for five years, for breach of trust. In its ruling, the court condemned the ugly collusion between bureaucrats and private businesses that has proliferated behind the veil of "national security."

The court also gave suspended sentences to 12 other defendants from NEC Corp. and its affiliates for their roles in the defense procurement scandal. Thirteen defendants have admitted to the charges brought by prosecutors, bringing their trials to an early conclusion after a little more than seven months. However, the …