He was a principal figure in a 1974 bribery scandal that resulted in the arrests of more than 90 people, including a senior vice president of Itoyama's company,[1] and Peter Herzog characterized Itoyama as "one of the worst offenders" in having a "cavalier attitude" toward Japanese election laws.
Itoyama became the single largest shareholder in Japan Airlines in February 1998 and publicly called for significant changes to management and business structures.
He traveled to the United States and began negotiating the sale of JAL hotel properties such as the Ihilani Resort & Spa in Honolulu and the Essex House in New York, despite having no actual authority to do so.
[4] He sold half of his JAL stake on the open market in 2006 after the company failed to pay dividends for two years in a row.
[5] He is a best-selling author, with books on political and business subjects, and is the chairman and benefactor of an eponymous educational institution.