In a bribery case related to the House of Representatives election on February 8, candidates who ran in Tokyo's 7th district under the Democratic Party for the People but lost, have been arrested for allegedly violating the Public Election Act. Investigations suggest that campaigners, predominantly university students, were paid a daily wage of 10,000 yen, with police estimating that at least 450,000 yen in total was paid to more than ten campaigners. The suspects include former Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member Nobuko Irie and others involved in her campaign.

The arrested individuals are believed to have conspired between late January and early February to distribute payments totaling 270,000 yen to five female university students in their 10s to 20s for campaign activities like handing out flyers. The investigations have revealed that Irie and her associates directed the hiring of campaigners through a social media management company, where funds were transferred from an account to pay the campaigners, raising serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process and the involvement of the younger demographic in such illicit activities.

According to the Public Election Act, it's illegal to bribe voters or campaigners with compensation for voting or conducting campaign activities. The police have postponed determining guilt for those campaigners who accepted the cash, opening an inquiry into potential violations on both sides. Irie had previously held a position at Fuji Television and served as a Tokyo assembly member for two terms before running for the House of Representatives, where she received approximately 21,000 votes but was ultimately defeated.