Hawkish Lower House member Shingo Nishimura, who was arrested Monday for violating the Attorneys Law, is no stranger to controversy, having drawn flak as a Defense Agency vice minister when he called for Japan to develop nuclear weapons and for remarking that punishment is the only reason why people don't naturally become rapists.

Democratic Party of Japan member Nishimura, 57, a native of Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, who has been elected to the House of Representatives five times since 1993, also sparked controversy in 1997 when he visited the Japan-controlled Senkaku islets in the East China Sea that China and Taiwan also claim.

Nishimura is the third son of the late Eiichi Nishimura, who once headed the now-defunct Democratic Socialist Party.

He became a lawyer in 1985 after graduating from Kyoto University in 1976 and working for the Kobe Municipal Government.

In October 1999, Nishimura said in an interview with the Weekly Playboy magazine that the Diet "should consider the fact that Japan may be better off if it armed itself with nuclear weapons."

Nishimura told the magazine that nuclear weapons are an effective deterrent, comparing them with the punishment for rapists, a remark that eventually led to his resignation as a Defense Agency vice minister.

"If there were no punishment for rape, we would all be rapists. We do not become rapists because there is the deterrent of punishment," he said.

He also called in the interview for formal, nominal establishment of a national military.

In May 1997, Nishimura landed on the disputed Senkaku islets and later accused the government of avoiding making assertive territorial claims to avoid an international dispute.

His landing drew strong protests from China and Taiwan.

On his Web site, he describes himself as "an active lawmaker" who believes firmly in prioritizing national security and national interests.

Nishimura was also connected to a man involved in rightist shooting attacks, including those on offices of Chongryun, a pro-Pyongyang organization also known as the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.

Nishimura is a key member of a lawmakers' group pushing for the return of Japanese abducted to North Korea.

He joined the DPJ in September 2003 following the dissolution of the Liberal Party.

His arrest is yet another blow to the DPJ, which suffered a huge loss in the Sept. 11 general election and has been plagued by scandal.

Kenji Kobayashi, a DPJ member who lost his Diet seat in the September election, was arrested later that month for allegedly possessing stimulant drugs.

Keiko Hakariya, another DPJ member who lost his seat in the election, was indicted for paying campaign helpers in violation of the Public Offices Election Law.