Police on Wednesday indicted six executives of the scandal-hit Tokushukai group, including the founder's wife, on election fraud charges. The arrests follow the indictments of eight other executives on Tuesday.
The Tokushukai group, which operates medical institutions across Japan, was raided by police in September after it came to light that several of its executives deployed up to 200 Tokushukai staff to support the successful election campaign last December of Takeshi Tokuda, 42, son of group founder Torao Tokuda, paying them 147.5 million yen in “incentives.”
Tokuda resigned from the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) in November.
Among those indicted are Torao's wife Hideko, 75, and her daughters -- Michiyo Stern, 46, and Narumi Koshizawa, 50. They were charged with violating the Public Offices Election Law, TBS reported.
A spokesman for prosecutors said they have not decided yet whether to indict the 75-year-old group founder who is bed-ridden due to due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
© Japan Today
6 Comments
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drewberculosis
So these people got paid to support a campaign....ok, so what? I don`t understand how this is election fraud.
Can someone explain that?
Mirai Hayashi
There is a limit to how much an individual or corporations can donate to a campaign, that's why they labeled them as "incentives" instead of political contributions. If Tokuda accepted these contributions, then he too is liable for campaign fraud, and should be booted from office.
Disillusioned
They got caught buying votes, but no action will be taken in regards to the vote being null and void. Nice!
rickyvee
the man has already resigned, so there's not need to "boot him from office" or to nullify the results.
Simon Foston
Yes there is. He has resigned from the LDP, not the Diet. Sooner he is booted out the better.
Bear27840
@Mirai Hayashi, he has already resigned in November and he should be charged with the rest for he had to have known what was happening.