Overview
- Hyogo Prefectural Police arrested Takashi Tachibana on suspicion of defaming former Hyogo assemblyman Hideaki Takeuchi, who died in January at age 50.
- Authorities say Tachibana publicly asserted Takeuchi was likely being questioned by police and posted after his death that he was due to be arrested the next day.
- Police consider the statements not factual and are interviewing information providers to determine Tachibana’s awareness of any falsity.
- Through his lawyer, Tachibana denies criminality and claims he had reasonable grounds to believe the information was true, asserting the truth-equivalent defense.
- Legal experts note criminal defamation of the deceased requires the facts to be false and typically demands credible sourcing, as rumors or online posts alone are insufficient, while the arrest has already prompted NHK Party lawmaker Kenichiro Saito to leave a unified caucus with the LDP.