New suspicions surrounding Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito’s reelection bid have surfaced after his stunning comeback last week, with reports indicating he might have violated election law by paying a public relations agency to run his social media campaign.
Saito, 47, admitted Monday that he paid the company in question ¥700,000 ($4,551) to produce posters for his campaign, but he denied accusations of violating election law.
Japanese election law prohibits vote-buying by candidates running for public office — a restriction that Saito’s campaign might have breached if it paid the agency to run its social media operations.