Key Facts
• June 10, 2025: Shiori Yamao held a press conference to announce her candidacy for the July Upper House election.
• Yamao, a former House of Representatives member, faced questions about past allegations of an extramarital affair with a lawyer.
• She declined to comment on the allegations, stating, “I cannot say.”
• Weekly Bunshun previously reported on her alleged affair with a younger lawyer, which led to significant political fallout.
• The scandal reportedly disrupted the Democratic Party’s leadership race and tarnished her political career.
• The lawyer’s ex-wife published a memoir detailing her emotional distress and the impact on her family.
• The ex-wife later took her own life, further intensifying public scrutiny of Yamao.
• Yamao left politics in June 2021 but expressed her desire to return as a lawmaker under the Democratic Party for the People.
• She has been active in writing and public speaking under her real name, Shiori Sugano.
• The controversy continues to overshadow her political ambitions.
Summary
Shiori Yamao, a former Japanese lawmaker, announced her candidacy for the July Upper House election during a press conference on June 10, 2025. Despite her political aspirations, Yamao remains embroiled in controversy over past allegations of an extramarital affair with a younger lawyer. The scandal, first reported by Weekly Bunshun, led to significant political fallout, including the disruption of the Democratic Party’s leadership race. The lawyer’s ex-wife, who later took her own life, had publicly shared her emotional distress and the impact on her family. Yamao, who left politics in 2021, has since expressed her desire to return as a lawmaker under the Democratic Party for the People. However, her refusal to address these allegations continues to cast a shadow over her political comeback.
