Hourly wage 14,000 won offered... Candidate who made people promote election showing their buttocks finally caught

Controversy Over Escorting Campaign Workers in Provocative Outfits
"First Election Bribery Case in Japan in 8 Years"

A candidate for the Japanese House of Representatives election, who previously sparked controversy by accompanying female campaign workers dressed in provocative outfits, has now been arrested by the police on charges of violating the Public Offices Election Act.

According to local media reports including the Tokyo Shimbun on the 3rd (local time), Masafumi Dabuchi (66), an independent candidate who ran in the 50th Japanese House of Representatives election held last October, was arrested by the police on the 30th of last month. Dabuchi is suspected of violating Japanese election laws, and Shigeru Kobayashi (37), a male staff member involved in the campaign, was also arrested on the same day.

Independent candidate Dabuchi, who ran in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in Japan, was criticized for accompanying campaign workers wearing provocative outfits. Photo by X Capture

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department stated that they are suspected of promising an hourly wage of 1,500 yen (approximately 14,000 won) to four men and women in their 20s and 30s in early October in exchange for distributing promotional flyers and other campaign activities. The Japanese media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported, "This is the first time in eight years since the 2016 House of Councillors (upper house) election that the Metropolitan Police Department has uncovered an election bribery case."

The police are investigating on the grounds that Dabuchi was aware of the illegality of his actions during the campaign and attempted to destroy evidence. According to the police investigation, Dabuchi created a chat room on the social networking service (SNS) 'LINE' during the campaign period to manage the attendance of his staff. He also had about 10 campaign workers take photos at the site to record their clock-in times and locations, then send them to a chat room with about 30 participants.

Former candidate Dabuchi arrested by police. Screenshot from Fuji TV.

However, on the night of October 26, the last day of the campaign, he reportedly instructed the members to leave the chat room, saying, "The investigation into election violations is starting now, so please speak carefully."

Dabuchi is a doctor by profession and ran as an independent candidate in Tokyo's 26th district, receiving about 14,000 votes. He ranked lowest among the five candidates. Previously, he had stirred controversy by bringing female campaign workers dressed in provocative clothing.

During the campaign period, many photos showing the backs of female campaign workers holding Dabuchi’s promotional flyers were posted on Japan’s X (formerly Twitter), with the skirts they wore being so short that parts of their bodies were exposed.

As the controversy grew, Dabuchi said, "I thought the (outfits) were extreme," but denied that he had instructed them. He explained, "It was decided that we would wear light green jumpers during the campaign, but there were no specific regulations regarding the lower garments," while admitting, "I think I failed to manage it properly and I reflect on that."