21 hours ago
Colleagues of Japan local ex-councilor who died after online abuse set up fund for his kids
KOBE -- Colleagues of a former Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member, who died after being severely slandered on social media and elsewhere, have set up a fund to support his two children.
Hideaki Takeuchi, then 50, passed away in January. He was a member of the assembly's special committee investigating power harassment and other allegations that Gov. Motohiko Saito and others were accused of in writing. A group of Takeuchi's fellow assembly members announced the establishment of the support fund on Aug. 18.
Takeuchi's widow has filed a criminal complaint against Takashi Tachibana, head of the political group "NHK Party," on suspicion of defamation for disseminating false information.
The fund has already launched a dedicated website and will accept donations until Nov. 18. Hyakuo Fujimoto, a prefectural assembly member of the Liberal Democratic Party, told a press conference on Aug. 18, "We hope that his children will grow up healthy and will be eager to study."
(Japanese original by Yuria Kiyama, Kobe Bureau)
