Police arrested an assistant of the Shizuoka District Public Prosecutor's Office Wednesday for allegedly leaking investigation information to her yakuza-linked friend.
Miho Suzuki, 30, owned up to violating the law that prohibits public servants from leaking government information.
Police also arrested Akira Suzuki, 38, a carpenter, and his friend, Makoto Sakai, 39, a senior member of an underworld affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate, for allegedly enticing Miho Suzuki into leaking the information. They didn't elaborate.
Miho Suzuki and Akira Suzuki lived together and share the same last name but are not married, according to police, who apparently only recently became aware of their co-habitation.
Both have admitted being party to the alleged wrongdoing, but Sakai has denied committing any misdeeds, the police said.
Miho Suzuki is believed to have leaked investigative information via emails pertaining to a fraud case involving another mobster other than Sakai in December 2010.
Investigators suspect Miho Suzuki leaked information related to other cases. They found in her desk several copies of information related to cases involving the underworld when they raided the Numazu branch of the Shizuoka Prosecutor's Office on March 13.
Miho Suzuki joined the prosecutor's office as an assistant in April 2003. She was in charge of managing the information system of prosecutors at the branch when police were investigating the alleged information leak earlier this year.
The police said they began investigating the two Suzukis because they engaged in frequent communications while officials were probing a sex crime involving minors.
The Shizuoka prosecutor's office said Miho Suzuki never caused any problems at work.