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Yomiuri Shimbun

Late Hyogo Prefectural Assembly Member's Wife Files Complaint Against NHK Party Leader; Tachibana Faces Claim of Defamation

The wife of a former Hyogo prefectural assembly member who died in January has filed a criminal complaint against NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana, accusing him of defaming her late husband. The wife, 50, said at a press conference held in Kobe on Friday that the Hyogo prefectural police accepted her complaint in June. The police are currently investigating the case. Her late husband, Hideaki Takeuchi, was a member of the Hyogo prefectural assembly's committee probing a whistleblowing case involving Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito. A video showing Takeuchi harshly questioning Saito at the committee was shared on social media during the campaign period for the Hyogo Prefecture gubernational election between October and November last year, prompting a wave of slander against Takeuchi. Takeuchi resigned, citing personal reasons, the day after the election, in which Saito was reelected. Takeuchi died on Jan. 18 at the age of 50 in what is believed to have been a suicide. According to the complaint, Tachibana allegedly said, 'I have no doubt [Takeuchi] is under police investigation,' during a stump speech for Osaka Prefecture's Izumiotsu mayoral election on Dec. 13 and 14 last year. Tachibana was a candidate in the election. The day after Takeuchi died, Tachibana posted on X, '[Takeuchi] had continuously been undergoing voluntary questioning by the prefectural police.' He also stated in a video posted on YouTube, 'He's going to be arrested tomorrow.' The complaint said those remarks defamed Takeuchi. At the prefectural assembly on Jan. 20, Hyogo prefectural police chief Toshiyuki Murai denied the remarks made by Tachibana, calling them 'completely baseless.' Tachibana admitted the remarks were false, and the video has since been made unavailable. Under the law, the crime of defamation is established when a person is found to have used specific examples to damage someone else's reputation. Those found guilty face a prison sentence of up to 3 years or a fine of up to ¥500,000. The punishments can also apply to a person who intentionally defames a deceased individual with false claims. 'I would like to respond properly after I'm summoned by the police,' said Tachibana at a press conference on Friday.