Diet member Anri Kawai is suspected of giving cash to voters in Hiroshima during her successful campaign for the 2019 Upper House election last July, sources familiar with the situation said Saturday.
The 46-year-old wife of former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai, known for his close ties to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, made her Diet debut by winning the election. Both are members of Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The couple, suspected of buying votes, may have handed out over ¥20 million ($182,000) to around 100 people in connection with the campaign, the sources said.