Prosecutors on Thursday arrested a former secretary of House of Representatives member Koichi Yoshida for allegedly receiving illegal commissions from a loan broker in return for securing debt guarantees from a public corporation, investigative sources said.
The Tokyo Public Prosecutor's Office suspects Yoshio Ogai, 52, of conspiring in the matter with broker Akira Murayama, 43, and Kazuhiko Nunokawa, 39, a secretary of Lower House member Taiichiro Nishikawa. The three allegedly secured debt guarantees for small-business owners in Tokyo from the Tokyo Shinyo Hosho Kyokai (Tokyo credit guarantee association), the sources said.
Yoshida is a former Tokyo Metropolitan Government official who was later elected to the assembly. He was subsequently elected to the Lower House from the Tokyo No. 9 constituency and is currently serving his third term.