TOKYO — A major Japanese publisher has been ordered to pay $438,000 in damages to the Japan Sumo Association for stories alleging bout-fixing in the ancient sport.

The Tokyo District Court ordered Kodansha to pay the association after determining that the accusations against several sumo wrestlers were not true, Kyodo News agency reported Thursday.

The series of articles appeared in three issues of the Weekly Gendai magazine in February 2007.

Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu, who was accused of playing the key role in the alleged match-fixing, attended a court hearing in October to testify that sumo matches are not rigged.

The court also ordered Kodansha to publish a retraction for the articles.

Claims of match-fixing have been prevalent in sumo for many years.