Japan Defeated Election Candidate Held for Promising Payments

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo police Saturday arrested a 66-year-old doctor who ran unsuccessfully in last month's general election as an independent, on suspicion of promising to pay campaign staff.

The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Masafumi Tabuchi, who contested the Tokyo No. 26 constituency in the election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, as well as 37-year-old Shigeru Kobayashi, who managed the candidate's campaign staff.

The two allegedly promised four people in their 20s to 30s in early October to pay 1,500 yen per hour as remuneration for election campaign work.

The public offices election law bans payments to campaign staff as well as promising to do so in principle. According to the police, Tabuchi and Kobayashi verbally promised remuneration but did not actually make payments.

Around 30 people, including employees of a hospital where Tabuchi works and acquaintances of Kobayashi, were members of the campaign. They distributed leaflets on the street.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]