A former member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party of Japan was arrested Sunday on suspicion of possessing stimulants at his home in Aichi Prefecture, police said.
Kenji Kobayashi, 41, lost his seat in the general election for the Lower House a week ago. He ran on the ticket of the biggest opposition party in the Aichi No. 7 district.
The police arrested Kobayashi's private secretary, Koshi Ando, 41, and a former aide, Masaharu Saeki, 40, also for allegedly possessing stimulants in violation of the Stimulants Control Law.
Some 30 locations, including Kobayashi's campaign office in the city of Seto, Aichi Prefecture, were searched Sunday.