参院さんいん選せんで買収ばいしゅうの疑うたがい パチンコ店てん幹部かんぶ ウェブ会議かいぎで投票とうひょう指示しじか

In the case where six executives of a pachinko parlor operating company were arrested on suspicion of violating the Public Offices Election Act for allegedly asking employees to vote for a proportional representation candidate in the July House of Councillors election and promising them rewards, it has been learned from interviews with investigators that memos containing what appeared to be instructions given via web conference were distributed to the managers of each store.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and others suspect that organized bribery was conducted through the store managers and are investigating the matter in detail.

The president of Delpara, a pachinko chain operator in Minato Ward, Tokyo, Masanori Yamamoto also known as Changbeom Lee, 50, along with six company executives, were arrested on the 26th on suspicion of violating the Public Offices Election Act for bribery. They allegedly promised to pay cash to 60 employees of affiliated pachinko parlors in exchange for voting for candidate Yasuhisa Abe, who was running for the House of Councillors election in July as a proportional representation candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, executives held a web conference gathering store managers from across the country and instructed them to ask employees to vote. It has been learned from interviews with investigators that a memo summarizing the contents of this meeting was distributed to the store managers.

The memo reportedly stated that part-time workers would be paid 3,000 yen and regular employees 4,000 yen as overtime pay, and that after the vote, each store manager should report by sending a photo via LINE or other means.

The joint investigation headquarters, including the Metropolitan Police Department, is closely investigating the suspicion that more than 250 employees were systematically bribed through the store manager and others.

The Metropolitan Police Department has not disclosed whether the six individuals have admitted to the charges.