A 54-year-old man from Sapporo was arrested August 5 on suspicion of making repeated harassment calls to a Lower House lawmaker, police said.
Kenji Kitagawa allegedly made 62 calls between May 7 and June 20 to Shinshinto lawmaker Yuriko Koike, 45, at her official residence in Minato Ward, Tokyo. During the calls, he reportedly said: "Break off your connection with a television station," "I will banish you from the political world at the risk of my life" and "I will kill you," according to police.
Kitagawa admitted he made the calls and said he was wrong, police said. He also visited Koike's residence several times in the past few years and rang the doorbell, police alleged.
Police believe he is a stranger to Koike and placed the calls mainly in the middle of night and in the early morning from his home in Sapporo. Koike's side said the man had been following her since she was elected to the Diet, causing her considerable anxiety. When she could no longer stand his behavior, she reported the case to police, they said.