Muneo Suzuki was paroled Tuesday after spending a year in prison for accepting ¥11 million in bribes and committing other offenses while serving as a Diet member.
Suzuki, a native of Hokkaido, heads a small political party called New Party Daichi. The 63-year old former Lower House member lost his Diet seat last September after his sentence was finalized.
While imprisoned in Tochigi Prefecture, Suzuki, who underwent surgery for esophagus cancer in October 2010, said he was placed in the hospital ward and spent his days nursing the elderly or helping those with physical impairments. Having served exactly one year in prison, Suzuki was all smiles when he was greeted by former colleagues, including indicted Democratic Party of Japan kingpin Ichiro Ozawa's close aides, Kenko Matsuki and Tomohiro Ishikawa.