Key Facts
• In last month’s Senate election, Tokyo’s Ota Ward fraudulently inflated invalid votes.
• Approximately 2,600 invalid votes were improperly processed by the election committee.
• Ota Ward Mayor Akimasa Suzuki issued a public apology on August 7.
• The inflation aimed to reconcile discrepancies caused by double-counted absentee votes.
• The election committee’s secretary-general knew of the issue two days post-election.
• The secretary-general delayed reporting until August 4, citing time constraints.
• Multiple staff members may have collaborated on the decision to inflate votes.
• Ota Ward is conducting an internal investigation and forming a third-party committee.
• Measures to prevent recurrence are under consideration.
Summary
Tokyo’s Ota Ward election committee admitted to fraudulently inflating approximately 2,600 invalid votes during last month’s Senate election. The issue arose from reconciling discrepancies caused by double-counted absentee votes. Mayor Akimasa Suzuki publicly apologized on August 7, acknowledging potential staff collaboration in the decision-making process. The committee’s secretary-general delayed reporting the issue until August 4, citing time constraints. Ota Ward has launched an internal investigation and plans to establish a third-party committee to develop preventive measures.
