Japanese lawmaker and former senior vice justice minister Mito Kakizawa has been questioned by prosecutors on a voluntary basis amid allegations of vote-buying for a Tokyo ward mayoral election, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
The fifth-term House of Representatives member, who left the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday, is alleged to have paid money to several Koto Ward assembly members to get a mayoral candidate he backed elected in April. He has denied trying to buy votes, according to the sources.
The development comes at a time when criticism has been growing of the LDP amid a deepening political fundraising scandal involving the party's largest faction.
The 52-year-old said in a letter dated Nov. 30 that was addressed to his supporters that the money handout was not intended for vote-buying but was provided as a form of encouragement to local politicians ahead of the assembly election, also held in April.
But prosecutors suspect his intention was to buy votes in violation of Japan's public offices election law, according to the sources.
Tokyo prosecutors searched his home in Koto Ward and his Diet office on Thursday, a day after the extraordinary parliamentary session ended.
According to the sources, Kakizawa told his secretaries and others prior to the mayoral election to distribute 200,000 yen ($1,400) evenly among the ward's assembly members with ties to the LDP.
Kakizawa is also suspected of giving money to staff of Yayoi Kimura, the candidate he backed for the mayoral race.
His secretary is suspected of having created a list citing 13 people, including the staff members, and showing 900,000 yen was paid out, they said.
The son of a former foreign minister resigned as senior vice justice minister in late October after admitting that he had proposed using an online advertisement in Kimura's campaign, which is prohibited by the election law.
Kimura, who stepped down as mayor in November after using the paid advert on YouTube to urge people to vote for her, previously served as a lower house lawmaker of the LDP. Kakizawa supported her in the race.
The former mayor paid some 140,000 yen with her credit card for the advert, which drew around 380,000 views. Japan's election law prohibits the use of paid adverts online for specific candidates, rather than political parties.
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