TOKYO:  Japanese public prosecutors on Wednesday indicted former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai and his wife, Anri, on charges of buying votes for her campaign for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament.

Katsuyuki, 57, a member of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, was charged with distributing some 29 million yen to a total of 100 local mayors, assembly members and supporters in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, between March and August 2019, according to the indictment by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

The money was given in an attempt to have them round up votes for Anri in the July 2019 Upper House election, in violation of the public offices election law, the indictment said.

Anri, 46, was indicted for conspiring with Katsuyuki to distribute 1.7 million of the money to five of the 100.

She won a seat in the Upper House election from the Hiroshima prefectural constituency, her first in parliament.

The prosecutors found that Katsuyuki organized Anri’s campaign, a role subject to a heavy punishment.

Katsuyuki’s constituency is also in Hiroshima.

The Kawais, both of whom quit the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after the scandal broke, are expected to receive rulings quickly under the law. The couple seem to be denying the charges.

The prosecutors did not indict those who received the money, as many of them have confessed and apologized or resigned from a post.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it is very regrettable that lawmakers who were once LDP members have been indicted.

Abe said he feels responsibility for appointing Katsuyuki as justice minister and apologized.

Opposition parties demanded that the Kawais quit as lawmakers, while strongly criticizing Abe.

“Abe bears serious responsibility,” Jun Azumi, parliamentary affairs chief of the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told reporters.

JIJI Press