Prosecutors filed a lawsuit Tuesday to bar former House of Representatives lawmaker Masanori Arai from running for an election in his constituency for the next five years after his aides were found guilty of vote-buying in the November general election.
The Tokyo High Public Prosecutor's Office filed the suit at the Tokyo High Court after Arai's campaign manager and a former secretary decided not to appeal the guilty verdict of violating the Public Offices Election Law. They received suspended prison terms last month.
Under the election law, candidates are subject to a guilty-by-association clause if their fund managers, secretaries or campaign managers are found guilty of violating the law.
The Saitama District Court last month found the two aides had conspired with Arai, who has also been arrested, and paid a total 1.8 million yen to 18 people, including key members of a Liberal Democratic Party local chapter, in late October to ask them to get votes for Arai.