Tokyo prosecutors Thursday arrested an aide to House of Representatives lawmaker Taichiro Nishikawa and an aide to Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member Tai Yamazaki for allegedly playing key roles in the illegal brokering of loan guarantees to small businesses.

Prosecutors arrested Nishikawa aide Kazuhiko Nunokawa, 39, and Yamazaki secretary Susumu Wada, 42, and searched a number of locations, including the offices of the two politicians, the same day.

Nishikawa, representing the Tokyo No. 14 electoral district, is a member of the New Conservative Party, which is a part of the ruling triumvirate. Yamazaki is a member of a group of independent lawmakers.