前江東区長に有罪判決　自身の選挙巡る公選法違反―東京地裁

　昨年４月の東京都江東区長選を巡り、公選法違反（買収など）の罪に問われた前区長木村弥生被告（５８）の判決が１４日、東京地裁であり、鎌倉正和裁判長は懲役１年６月、執行猶予５年（求刑懲役１年６月）を言い渡した。
　木村被告は昨年１１月に区長を辞職。これまでの公判で起訴内容を認め、「ご迷惑をおかけし、心からおわび申し上げる」などと話していた。
　鎌倉裁判長は、木村被告が選挙後に元区議（５４）＝公判中＝に支払った１００万円の報酬について「高額で、選挙の公正を害する」と指摘。選挙期間中は禁止されている有料インターネット広告を掲載したことに関しては、「資金力の差によらない選挙を目指す公選法の趣旨に反する。主体的に関与した責任は軽視できない」と述べた。
　一方、公判では事実関係を認め、反省の態度を示していることなどから、実刑にすべきとは言えないと判断した。（2024/06/14-12:32）

Tokyo District Court found on Friday Yayoi Kimura, former mayor of Tokyo's Koto Ward, guilty of violating the public offices election law during her own campaign.
   Presiding Judge Masakazu Kamakura sentenced Kimura, 58, to 18 months in prison, suspended for five years, after prosecutors sought an unsuspended 18-month imprisonment.
   According to the ruling, Kimura gave 1 million yen in June last year to a former Koto Ward assembly member now standing trial in return for helping her campaign in the mayoral election in April the same year.
   She also violated the law by placing online video advertisements during the campaign period for about 370,000 yen in conspiracy with already convicted Mito Kakizawa, 53, former member of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan's parliament.
   The reward Kimura paid was "too high to harm the fairness of the election," Kamakura noted. As for the online ads, the judge said Kimura deserves blame for "taking the initiative" in going against the law, which is seeking elections whose results have nothing to do with how much campaign funds are spent.