Tokyo, 1 November, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s senior vice minister for justice resigned Tuesday after admitting to proposing the use of an online advertisement during a mayoral campaign in a Tokyo ward, in violation of the election law.
The resignation of Mito Kakizawa, a House of Representatives member belonging to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, comes after Koto Ward Mayor Yayoi Kimura said she will step down for her alleged involvement in the paid advertisement that was shown on YouTube.
Kakizawa is the second to quit Kishida’s cabinet after a reshuffle last month, following the resignation of Taro Yamada, who gave up his post as parliamentary vice education minister on Thursday in the wake of a media report about him having an inappropriate relationship with a woman.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who heads the LDP, said during a parliamentary session that Kakizawa had submitted a letter of resignation. Kishida added he felt a sense of “responsibility for having appointed” Kakizawa in September.
Opposition parties swiftly began to grill Kishida over the case, as approval ratings for his cabinet have remained at their lowest levels since its launch in October 2021 amid public frustration over rising prices that have not kept pace with wage growth.
At a press conference, Justice Minster Ryuji Koizumi said Kakizawa had “deeply reflected on” his proposal to the ward mayor, quoting him as saying he was not aware that it violated the public offices election law.
Kakizawa, the son of a former Japanese foreign minister, represents a constituency that covers Koto Ward. Kimura previously served as an LDP lawmaker.
The video, which urged people to vote for Kimura, was posted on YouTube for five days during the campaign for the mayoral election on April 23. She paid some 140,000 yen with her credit card for the advertisement, which was viewed around 380,000 times.
The public offices election law prohibits the posting of paid advertisements online for specific candidates, rather than political parties. Violation of the law’s clause imposes imprisonment of up to two years or fines of up to 500,000 yen if convicted.
Kimura expressed her wish to resign late last week after prosecutors searched her office at the Koto Ward government building, as well as her house. Her resignation is expected to be formally endorsed on Nov 15.
