SAITAMA Prefectural Police reported a secretary to upper house legislator Kiyoshi Ueda to public prosecutors on Sept. 26 on suspicion of campaigning before the July House of Councillors election, according to investigative sources.
In documents sent to public prosecutors, police accuse the secretary of illegally distributing documents calling people to vote for Ueda in the election before the official start of the campaign, in violation of the Public Offices Election Act, the sources said.
The secretary is accused of sending election-related documents, including ones stating, From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely ask for your cooperation, to the homes of multiple voters in early June, before the June 22 start of the campaign period.
After serving as a member of the House of Representatives, Ueda served four terms as governor of Saitama Prefecture, remaining in office for 16 years. He was first elected to the House of Councillors in a by-election in 2019 and is serving his second term in the chamber after winning a seat in the Saitama electoral district.