Lawmakers are imposing restrictions on the long-standing practice of hiring spouses and family members as publicly paid secretaries in response to a recent scandal among their ranks.
Kanju Sato, a former member of the House of Representatives and Democratic Party of Japan, and his wife were arrested earlier this month for allegedly embezzling 17 million yen from the state. The money was supposed to be used for the salary of a public secretary, who in fact never worked for him.
The money was allegedly paid into several bank accounts kept by Sato's wife, who also worked as his public secretary.