Lawmaker Couple's Offices Searched


Lawmaker couple's offices searched

Prosecutors in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, have raided the offices of Upper House member Anri Kawai and her husband, Lower House member Katsuyuki Kawai, on suspicion of violating the election law.

Anri Kawai has been charged with paying her campaign staff above the legal limit during her successful run for the Upper House in July last year. Prosecutors have been questioning her staff since last month.

Investigators searched for evidence at her office in Hiroshima City on Wednesday. They also seized documents from her husband's office. He resigned as Justice Minister because of his wife's possible violation of the election law.

The couple, both members of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party, have not been seen in public since the allegations were made over two months ago.

In the Diet, the opposition is demanding that the couple be held accountable.

The Diet affairs chief of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Jun Azumi, met on Wednesday with his LDP counterpart Hiroshi Moriyama to put forward the demand.

Azumi pointed out that neither the Kawais nor Isshu Sugawara, who resigned as Economy, Trade and Industry Minister over his own alleged election law violations, have offered the public an explanation for their misconduct.

He urged the LDP to question the couple and Sugawara before the ordinary session of the Diet is convened, and brief the opposition.

Azumi told reporters it would be difficult for the opposition to agree to Diet deliberations until the three politicians fulfill their accountability.

Moriyama told reporters that searches of the offices of incumbent lawmakers by prosecutors is a serious matter, and it's disappointing that the integrity of an election campaign is under investigation.

But he said since people in areas hit by last year's typhoons have been waiting for relief, the LDP will aim to pass an extra budget for the current fiscal year as soon as possible, and to pass the fiscal 2020 budget by the end of March.

Late on Wednesday night, the Kawais separately met media for the first time in over two months.

The former justice minister apologized for causing concern and other inconveniences. But he declined to comment on the case because a criminal investigation is underway.

The couple said neither of them have any intention of resigning as Diet members.