The National Police Agency said Monday it has identified several cases of suspected misconduct following Sunday's lower house election.
The NPA said it is questioning 280 people over their involvement in around 110 electoral irregularities. Over half of the cases being investigated are believed to have involved paying for votes, Fuji TV reported.
In a separate investigation, nine people were arrested for allegedly defacing around 2,645 campaign posters. Police say all of those accused of tearing down posters were released with warnings.
© Japan Today
23 Comments
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skroknog
I'm not surprised. I got the feeling the whole election was rigged as soon as the news outlets started hailing the LDP victory before it had even happened.
nath
I guess drawing Hitler mustaches on the campaign posters is a no-no.
Disillusioned
If this is truly the case the whole election should be squashed and the ballots should be reopened.
papigiulio
And then what? Let everyone vote for Ishihara? please dont make me laugh. This election, we had the choice between 2 bowls of shite. It was better to keep Noda, until we actually found something better sigh
Ewan Huzarmy
And like most other crime stories that feature on JT, I'm sure we won't get any follow-up.
Thunderbird2
This sounds like the sort of thing you'd expect in a banana republic, not a First World, technologically advanced, peaceful country like Japan.
Gobshite
I've been told that paying for votes is normal practice here, and that it's part of "Japanese culture". Just how long corruption can be passed off as culture I don't know.
davestrousers
I've thought the same about a lot of the things I've come across in Japan. Which has led me to believe that its technologically advanced and peaceful but not truly first world.
wakawaka225
At least the watch dogs are still working
hereforever
Wakawaka, I will agree with you when/if I see follow up stories on this. Though I don't believe I will.
Balefire
Nothing new here.
This sort of thing happens every election, and is typically because of gifts given during ritual/formal visits by local politicians or their support groups to local groups such as co-ops. The visits, and gifts--not always or even usually cash--are traditional and usually not even necessary because they're preaching to the choir...especially the LDP with their strong rural power base (the real vote buying is n pork barrel politics). It's amusing this time because the LDP surely didn't need to buy any votes this time around.
Waxman
Why are the elections still so old fashioned? There should be a computerized system where people can vote online from a polling booth, finger prints registration or something like face recognization system and no more fraud, in this way poll results will be known immediately! However that may not be enough to change Japan's fate!!
yobi00
Here's the Japanese version of the article
Here's a video.
There were 9 people arrested because of things like obstructing speeches. At previous lower house elections there were 20 people arrested. Number of warnings issued this time was 2645, this is less by about 500 than last time. On the other hand, there were 30 warnings issued concerning activities on the internet, an increase from 8 warnings last election.
I don't think this election was particularly unusual. It seems that this kind of thing always happens to some extent. No reason to make something more of this than it actually is.
Nessie
The LDPers get upset it's not a Tojo-stache.
viking68
On Sunday, I could hear a campaign truck near a voting center. The police should stop that stuff. I thought I was in the clear Sunday with all that noise only to hear one stalwart yapping his mouth all Sunday. Sound levels should be regulated and anyone caught exceeding those sound levels should be fined for disturbing the peace. That should stop both the annoying bozozukas and the annoying politicians from waking me up.
Many people see getting elected as the equivalent of getting a free salary and pension. They are not interested in public service. So, there will always be people trying to tip the scale in their favor. Still, this kind of fraud can't win an election, can it?
slumdog
Maybe his ears were still ringing from the day before.
JoeBigs
Politics, religion and sports bring out the worst in people.
trinklets2
This is just a question as I'm not good in Japanese. Was the pre election poll last Dec 8 valid? Or is it just a form of survey as I'm prone to believe. To tell the truth, my son who is a Jcitizen was fetch to and fro last Dec 8 as it was a sort of casting ballots of those who can't make it to Dec 16. Quite weird since 8 was a Saturday and the actual election day was a sunday. And to think that my son casted his ballot(Not only him) and candidates kept on roaming around campaigning after Dec 8 is okashii. We, the gaijin community who seem to be vocal wont be direct beneficiary whoever would be in power. But we, who choose to be here would be very exhuberant if a relatively good PM would stay in power longer than what is happening now. No single party nor one PM could solve the problems of the land in just a matter of months even yrs. Before there was only the Fukushima and the related nuclear issues. Now, there is China and Korea. Where will Japan go?I want my financial status be stable. And I beleive, it would happen if the country's well being is stable too.
BurakuminDes
So - you get nabbed for "defacing" and tearing down political posters - yet grubs that support scams like the LDP and DPJ are allowed to keep their posters up FOR MONTHS after the election - as has been the case for the 9 years I've been living here? Back in my country the parties would be the ones fined for polluting the envoronment with their garbage posters! I wish people would receive cash rewards for tearing down this pollution.
Interesting Zichi - I can also confirm that at least one campaign truck was making a racket in my neighbourhood on election Sunday.
masonz
I've alrady told that paying for votes is normal practice there, and that it's part of "Japanese culture". Just how long corruption can be passed off as culture I don't know.!!!!!!!!!!!!1
mikihouse
pay? i doubt its really a pay, more likely its like giving a free ride to the voting center or giving free lunch which is of course against Japan law. We were invited to a free lunch too by a wannabee politician. If somebody rat him out, he will be in the stat.
Mari Geeky
I knew it was a fraud. I heard that the difference between the total votes for lower house election and the gubernatorial election in Tokyo was almost 1,400,000. It doesn't makes sense that 1,400,000 people in Tokyo went to polling stations to vote only for the Tokyo governor but not for lower house candidates.