Former Japanese justice minister, wife to leave LDP over election scandal

TOKYO - Two Japanese lawmakers have decided to leave Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) over allegations they violated the election law, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

Katsuyuki Kawai, a former Justice Minister and his wife Kawai Anri, a member of the upper house of parliament are alleged to have bought votes for the upper house election in 2019 possibly helping Anri to secure her seat in the poll.

Prosecutors allege the pair's actions violated the Public Offices Election Law and are planning to question the couple on Thursday, once the current Diet session ends, the sources said.

Until now, the couple has denied allegations related to the vote-buying issue during questions they have answered from prosecutors on a voluntary basis.

Kawai left his position as justice minister in October last year after it came to light his wife's election camp, which he oversaw, may have tried to hide illegally high payments made to staff during the campaign by splitting the amounts over two receipts.

Her office is suspected of paying staff members double the legal amount, with daily allowance payments made to a group of staff members campaigning on her behalf totaling 30,000 yen ($280).

The payments may be in violation of Japan's election law and could be considered a form of bribery, the sources said.

In a bid to conceal the potentially illegal payments, Kawai's campaign office is suspected of producing separate receipts to be signed by the staff members, to make it look as though the payments were below the legal threshold of a daily allowance of 15,000 yen.

The couple, according to investigators, may have given more than 20 million yen ($186,000) in cash to numerous local legislators.

Kawai is believed to have offered between 50,000 and more than 100,000 yen ($931) in cash to each of the couple's supporters in their constituencies, prefectural and city assembly members, as well as local government chiefs.

The pair will tender their resignations to the LDP by Wednesday, sources said, as they do not wish to cause any further trouble for the ruling party, although they are continuing to deny the vote-buying allegations.

Sources close to the couple said, despite the weighty allegations against them, they do not intend to give up their seats in the parliament.