There would be a lack of balance if only a person who gave bribes at the time of an election campaign were charged, while those who received large amounts of cash were not held criminally responsible. It is only natural for prosecutors to indict local lawmakers and others in question.
In a vote-buying case involving the 2019 House of Councillors election, prosecutors indicted on suspicion of violating the Public Offices Election Law 34 out of 100 people, including members of local assemblies within the Hiroshima prefectural constituency, who allegedly received cash from former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai, whose prison sentence has been finalized. The 34 included members of the Hiroshima prefectural assembly.
Prosecutors initially acknowledged that the 100 people had received amounts from 50,000 yen to 3 million yen, even though they knew it was an inducement to help Kawai's wife, Anri Kawai, win the election. However, as prosecutors considered the recipients to have been in a passive position, for reasons such as Kawai's side having forced them to receive the cash, prosecutors initially decided not to indict them.
