Police arrested six executives of a Tokyo-based company operating pachinko pinball parlors, including its 50-year-old president with South Korean citizenship, for allegedly promising to pay a cash reward in return for voting for a certain candidate in the July 20 Upper House election.
Among the other five arrested by the joint investigation headquarters formed by the police departments of eight prefectures, including Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, are Kazuyuki Yuasa, 46, head of the marketing department of the company, Derupara; and Tomoyuki Konishi, 44, chief of Derupara's management department.
The arrestees are suspected of promising in early to mid-July to pay ¥3,000 ($20) or ¥4,000 to each of some 60 people, including pachinko parlor workers, in exchange for voting for a proportional representation candidate officially endorsed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the July 20 House of Councilors election. Their act allegedly violated the political funds control law.
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