Overview

• Election officials accidentally double counted advance ballots on July 20–21 and responded by declaring roughly 2,600 additional invalid ballots in both single-seat and proportional representation categories.
• Mayor Suzuki Akimasa publicly apologized on August 7, calling the error an extremely serious procedural failure.
• The ward’s election bureau is conducting interviews with staff members to determine who authorized the vote adjustments but has yet to identify a decision-maker.
• Ota Ward has referred the case to the o MetrMetropolitan Police Department for review of potential violations of the Public Offices Election Act.
• Ota Ward election management committee plans to establish an independent third-party panel after suspecting multiple staff members of involvement in the miscount.