The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office has arrested a private secretary to Kensaku Morita, a House of Representatives lawmaker, for allegedly providing vote-buying money to campaign workers during the Lower House election in June.
The arrest Wednesday raised the possibility that Morita might lose his Diet seat because of the revised Public Offices Election Law, which provides for joint culpability of the lawmaker concerned if his or her secretary is found guilty of violating the election law.
Prosecutors suspect the secretary provided money to campaign aides to buy votes, in violation of the Public Offices Election Law.
Prosecutors searched the private residence of Shoichi Iwashita, 48, and a number of other locations to collect evidence.
According to investigators, Iwashita allegedly handed several hundred thousand yen to two campaign workers in May, asking them to buy votes for Morita in the June 25 election.
Iwashita is also suspected of having engaged in election campaigning for Morita before Morita registered his candidacy, which constitutes an election law violation.
Morita, an actor-turned-politician, won the Tokyo No. 4 single-seat constituency in the June 25 election, running as an independent.