Kawais indicted on vote buying charges

Former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai and his wife, Anri, both lawmakers, have been indicted by prosecutors on charges of offering a total of ¥29 million to 100 people, such as local politicians, to buy votes for her in last July’s House of Councillors election.

The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on July 8 indicted the couple — House of Representatives member Katsuyuki Kawai, 57, and Anri Kawai, 46, who won her first Diet seat in the election — on charges of violating the Public Offices Election Law. The Kawais left the ruling Liberal Democratic Party amid the vote buying scandal.

They are expected to receive a ruling by the Tokyo District Court within 100 days after the indictment. The law calls for district courts to hand down rulings on certain defendants, such as successful candidates, within 100 days of their indictment in trials involving election-related offenses.

Under the law, people who received cash with awareness that the money was intended to buy votes also can be subject to punishment. However, prosecutors will possibly stop short of seeking criminal charges against such people in consideration of them being pushed by Katsuyuki Kawai to receive the cash.

According to the indictment and sources, the former minister offered 100 people, including members of the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly, local government heads and supporters, a total of about ¥29 million, with the intent to ask them to cast ballots and collect votes between late March last year, shortly after his wife was picked as a candidate officially backed by the LDP in the Hiroshima prefectural constituency, and early August, soon after the election. Anri Kawai also allegedly conspired with her husband and offered a total of ¥1.7 million to five people.

The Kawais were arrested last month on suspicion of offering 94 people a total of ¥25.7 million. After their arrest, the special investigation squad continued to investigate the case. When indicting the two, prosecutors cited an increased amount of money, about ¥29 million, as they suspect Katsuyuki Kawai had additionally offered about ¥3 million in total to six other people.

The prosecutors also concluded that seeking votes and offering cash before the election campaign, which started on July 4 last year, can be regarded as prior campaigning.

The prosecutors also deemed Katsuyuki Kawai to be the chief manager of his wife’s election campaign. Under the election law, the statutory penalty for vote buying by a chief campaign manager is heavier than that for other people, calling for imprisonment with or without labor for up to four years or a fine of up to ¥1 million.

If he is found guilty and the ruling is finalized, the guilt-by-association system will be applied to invalidate his wife’s election victory.

According to sources, Katsuyuki Kawai basically admitted to offering cash to local assembly members and others, but denied the charges, saying that the money had not been intended to buy votes, but as gifts to encourage them during local election campaigns. His wife also denied the charges, the sources said.