Japanese Lawmaker Gets Prison Sentence For Vote-Buying

Anri Kawai, lawmaker and wife of Japan's former justice minister, was on Thursday found guilty of vote-buying. Local media states a Tokyo District Court served her a year and four months of prison sentence, along with a five-year suspension. Kawai and her husband Katsuyuki Kawai had first been arrested in 2020 for buying votes to the Upper House of Parliament in the 2019 election.

As per Reuters, the couple in 2019 had "paid 1.7 million yen to five people" to get Kawai a seat, while her husband had separately "paid 27.31 million yen to 103 people" to help in her election. Kawai was reportedly a first-time candidate from the Liberal Democratic Party, which is in power. 

Jiji Press states Kawai pleaded "not guilty" to her charges in court, claiming that the money in question was for campaigning, not vote-buying. In case the ruling against her is finalised, Kawai is geared to lose her lawmaker status. 

Kawai's actions are an offence to the Public Offices Election Law, as per Japan Times. Five politicians, who admitted to receiving money from the couple, gave their testimonies in court. Reports also claim the former minister had close associations with the Prime Ministers of Japan, including Shinzo Abe. 

Who Is Anri Kawai? 

Anri Kawai, 47, is a Japanese politician now facing charges of vote-buying with a prison sentence of over a year. A former member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Kawai has previously served four terms in the Hiroshima assembly. In 2019, reports emerged that Kawai during campaign elections had allegedly bought votes for a place on Japan's Parliament, helped by her husband Katsuyuki Kawai, a minister. The two were arrested in 2020 and tried separately. 

Image Credit: The Asahi Shimbun