Democratic Party of Japan member Azuma Konno said Wednesday he will resign from the House of Representatives, following a court decision earlier in the day that invalidated his victory in the 2003 general election.
The Sendai High Court invalidated Konno's victory by applying the rule of guilt-by-association to illegal electioneering by his campaign workers.
Konno, 57, will be prohibited from running in Lower House elections in his electoral district -- Miyagi Prefecture's No. 1 constituency -- for five years, according to the court decision.