Overview

• On July 15, Mayor Araki sent a registered-cash refund of ¥100,000 to a former company president who had been arrested but not prosecuted in a bid-rigging probe
• Araki’s LDP branch report shows the donation was recorded on April 5, 2023, just days before that year’s mayoral election
• Mainichi reporting uncovered a separate ¥500,000 contribution from the president of the contractor awarded the new city hall contract three days before the 2023 election
• June arrests of a prefectural assembly member and the contractor’s sales manager, followed by July indictments, prompted the mayor’s refund and triggered wider legal reviews
• Election-law experts warn that routing company-funded donations through individuals may breach Japan’s Public Offices Election Law and could lead to further administrative action