Former House of Representatives member Yojiro Nakajima, convicted of five charges including vote-buying and taking bribes, was found hanged at his home in Tokyo's Meguro Ward on Saturday, police said.
The Tokyo High Court gave Nakajima, 41, a two-year prison term in September last year for taking 5 million yen in bribes in connection with the development of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's flying boats from Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. in 1996, when he served as state defense secretary, and other charges.
Nakajima pleaded guilty but was unhappy with the ruling. He wanted a suspended term and appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.
Nakajaima was first elected to the Lower House in 1992. He was charged with using 20 million yen to buy votes to be re-elected in October 1996.
Nakajima was arrested in October 1998 and resigned as a lawmaker in January 1999.
The son of late Education Minister Gentaro Nakajima, he was also accused of defrauding the state of about 10 million yen between December 1996 and January 1998, money that was given to him from taxpayers' funds to pay for a secretary.