Society

Man paid by ex-justice minister to gain votes for wife in election

May 14 (Kyodo) - A man who received money from former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai to support his wife's election campaign told prosecutors he had been tasked with winning votes for her from supporters of an incumbent lawmaker, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.

The man was paid around 960,000 yen ($9,000) by Kawai, 57, to support the campaign of his wife Anri in an upper house election last summer.

In the election, the Liberal Democratic Party had fought for two seats in the Hiroshima constituency by backing both Anri Kawai, 46, and the veteran incumbent lawmaker, Kensei Mizote.

During voluntary questioning by the Hiroshima District Public Prosecutors Office, the man said he called on several local assembly members close to Mizote and asked them to collect votes for Anri. The man reported details of these meetings to Katsuyuki Kawai via the messaging app Line.

Student's Homemade Bomb Sparks School Lockdown in Sapporo

A suspicious object feared to be explosive was discovered at a high school in Sapporo on the afternoon of November 22nd, causing temporary chaos. The object was found to have been brought to the school by one of its students.

China to resume visa-exemptions for short-term Japanese travelers

China says it will resume allowing visa-free visits by Japanese nationals on short-term trips from the end of this month. (NHK)

Japan Grapples with Poverty and Rising 'Invisible Homeless'

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Ueno Toshogu Shrine Shines in Gold with Special Lighting

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World's First Fiber Made From Bagworm Silk Revolutionizes Industry

A Japanese pharmaceutical company has announced the successful commercialization of fiber made from silk produced by bagworms.

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