A secretary in charge of policy for former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai was one of three people arrested Tuesday in connection with an election payments scandal involving the parliamentarian's wife who is also a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker.
Shinsuke Takaya, 43, was arrested by prosecutors along with Hiroshi Tatemichi, 54, a state-paid secretary of Kawai's wife, ruling party upper house member Anri Kawai.
The third person arrested was Yugo Waki, 71, one of Anri Kawai's campaign staff members.
(File photos: Anri Kawai (L) and husband Katsuyuki Kawai)
The three are suspected of paying a combined 2.04 million yen ($18,900) to 14 campaign staffers between July 19 and 23 last year, during an upper house election in the Hiroshima constituency. The payments exceeded the legal cap of daily allowances for such workers in violation of the public office election law.
The prosecutors did not reveal whether anyone admitted to the allegations after their arrest, although Tatemichi said during earlier voluntary questioning that he was aware he was breaking the law, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The prosecutors searched Katsuyuki Kawai's office in the Tokyo building used by House of Representatives members and Anri Kawai's office in the corresponding building dedicated to members of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who doubles as LDP president, declined to comment on the matter, citing ongoing investigations. Katsuyuki Kawai had served as a special advisor to the prime minister before being named justice minister last year.
The sitting LDP lawmaker is said to have orchestrated the election campaign in the Hiroshima constituency, taking an active role in securing staff.
Anri Kawai could lose her seat in parliament if one of the three is found to have breached the regulation holding a candidate jointly responsible for election law violations committed by his or her campaign manager.
Both Kawais released statements saying that they would refrain from making comments because the investigation into the case is ongoing.
Anri Kawai, 46, won an upper house seat for the first time in last July's election. Her 56-year-old husband is a veteran lower house lawmaker representing a Hiroshima Prefecture constituency.
In the election, the LDP chased two seats in the Hiroshima constituency by backing veteran LDP lawmaker Kensei Mizote along with first-time candidate Anri Kawai, but an opposition representative beat out Mizote.
The sources said Tatemichi coordinated plans for staff members during the election campaign. He went on to take up a state-paid role as secretary to Anri Kawai after the election.
Tatemichi told prosecutors during voluntary questioning that he was involved in providing daily allowance payments of 30,000 yen to "election warblers," as women who are driven around in small vans touting their candidates over loudspeakers are known, the sources said.
The payment is double the legal cap of 15,000 yen per day for such workers in election campaigns.
Hiroshima prosecutors searched the election office of the Kawais in Hiroshima as well as other sites such as the home of Tatemichi in January.
The campaign office is suspected of creating two receipts to be signed by the workers so as to create the appearance that the payments were under 15,000 yen per day.
As the election scandal emerged, Katsuyuki Kawai resigned as justice minister but maintained that he and his wife were not involved in the case.
The couple have kept quiet regarding details of the case and ruled out quitting the LDP or stepping down as lawmakers.
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