Ex-justice minister resigns, pleads guilty to vote buying

Hello Kitty 321Today 11:44 am JST

Why should he be allowed to resign (and keep his pension), he should be fired.

Because he'll use the "I wasn't aware it was illegal/it was against rules", or "I don't remember" or "It wasn't 10000Yen, that would be illegal. It was 9999Yen, so it wasn't illegal" card. Or some other bullhit excuse. Over the years, i've heard such excuses so many times.

Why should he be allowed to resign (and keep his pension), he should be fired.

Kawai apologized.....saying, "I have taken actions that undermine the (public) trust in elections."

No need to apologize! Both he and his wife have done nothing that in any way undermines the presumption, widely held and completely justified, that this is how things are done here. There’s zero chance of ever undermining that!

We see 'ippan jin' get jail terms for stealing ¥1,000 worth of food at a conbini!

But usually when they have a previous conviction record and/or no means to pay a fine.

I'm not saying that political and other elites are not corrupt. I was simply wondering why people are so down on suspended sentences.

@albaleo We see suspended sentences being handed down to corrupt LDP politicians who commit fraud and embezelment here all the time yes!

We see 'ippan jin' get jail terms for stealing ¥1,000 worth of food at a conbini!

If you can't see that that LDP cronies get a lighter sentence for bigger crimes than the average Japanese then you're blind pal.

@albaleo I am sure Ghosn would have got a suspended sentence too right?

If the jail term were three years or less, then probably.

One rule for the elite and one for the plebs are per usual!!

Do you have any evidence to support that? We see suspended sentences being dished out all the time in Japan to all manner of people when the jail term is less than three years.

now we should investigate who, in LDP, gave him the $266,000

The best government that money can buy!

Oh I am very glad that there is only a select few who get to live above the law.

Can you imagine what chaos we'd be living in if the rest of us, whose taxes keep crooks like this living comfortably and pay their legal fees and fines when they do get caught, never suffered any penalties?

I might find it hard to get up at 6 and work until 8pm if I thought I would ever face consequences if I broke the law.

Let's all be good citizens, book this down as "justice" and vote LDP again next election. What's the worst that could happen? A few more generations of feudal servitude? That's coming anyway.

Nothing to see here folks. Show's over. Move along.

as per usual that should read

@albaleo I am sure Ghosn would have got a suspended sentence too right?

(sarcasm)

One rule for the elite and one for the plebs are per usual!!

sigh..

I don't get the general antipathy towards suspended sentences. They reduce the burden on tax payers. The suspension period (e.g. 5 years for the wife in this case) is a strong disincentive to commit further crimes for quite a while. Considering Japan's relatively low crime rate, maybe they have it right.

Suspended sentence . . . . . ! What???

Double standards!

Finally this disgusting lying pretentious couple is out...

If it were me I would send him down for 5-10 yrs at least in a prison knitting rehabilition pants 9-5.

Good on him. Win by any means. Survival of the fittest. Don’t get caught. Boo boo.

How is this vote buying?

"I will not fight the vote-buying charge by and large,"

"...by and large" in this case means "if I can avoid jail time.".

An absolute suspended sentence.

The caste system is alive and well in Japan.

Suspended sentence, what a joke.

Getting him to fess up was like pulling teeth, and all for a rap on the knuckles at we the taxpayers' expense.

Suspended sentence and a seat back at the table coming right up !