Society | Jun 17

Kawai's secretary given suspended prison sentence

A court in western Japan has handed a suspended prison sentence to a secretary of Upper House lawmaker Kawai Anri for paying campaign staff more than the legal limit during Kawai's run for the Diet last year.

Kawai, a member of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party, was elected to the Upper House in July 2019.

The Hiroshima District Court on Tuesday found her secretary, Tatemichi Hiroshi, guilty of violating Japan's election law for paying 14 members of her campaign amounts in excess of the legal limit.

The court dismissed a request from defense lawyers for a fine, and sentenced Tatemichi to 18 months in prison, suspended for five years.

Prosecutors plan to file a lawsuit seeking to nullify Kawai's election win based on the guilt-by-association system if Tatemichi's prison sentence is finalized.

Tatemichi had been indicted along with a former secretary of Kawai's husband, former justice minister and Lower House member Kawai Katsuyuki.

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